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ESPN has named the three biggest needs for the Carolina Panthers in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft as safety, wide receiver, and edge rusher.

In the two seasons the Carolina Panthers have been coached by Dave Canales, they’ve taken strides toward being more competitive in the NFC. That includes winning the NFC South in 2025, despite still having a losing record.

Now, the Panthers want to find a way to take another step in the right direction by improving their roster this offseason. The NFL Draft is a perfect opportunity to do just that, addressing current needs with picks who should be in Carolina for the next few seasons.

Just as important as figuring out the best players in the NFL Draft is figuring out what positions a team needs to address most of all. David Newton of ESPN recently took on the task of figuring that out for the Panthers, landing on safety, wide receiver, and edge rusher as the most important positions of need in Carolina.

Why These are the Three Positions of Need for the Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers are entering a very important season for the franchise. They have the opportunity to build on last season’s success, but there is no promise they will do so. That’s why Newton thinks safety, wide receiver, and edge rusher need to be on their minds during the NFL Draft.

“The Panthers re-signed safety Nick Scott, but he still has coverage deficiencies despite 111 tackles last season (second most on the team). Carolina also needs a more impactful receiver behind 2025 first-round pick Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker,” Newton wrote.

“Despite signing Jaelan Phillips in free agency and taking Nic Scourton in the second round last year, finding another impactful edge rusher to develop also remains a need. As general manager Dan Morgan has said repeatedly, you can’t have too many pass rushers.”

Throughout the offseason, there have been rumors about how the Panthers are looking to build around Bryce Young and give him the opportunity to succeed. That has trickled into preparation for the NFL Draft. That has included mock drafts calling for the Panthers to take star tight ends, proposed trades for former first-round receivers, and even being named a potential landing spot for star free agent receivers.

Panthers Free Agency Addition Criticized as Among the Worst Signings

The Carolina Panthers have already looked to address edge rusher through free agency. There, they landed edge rusher Jaelan Phillips on a four-year, $120 million contract.

Not everyone was happy with that contract, though. In fact, Bleacher Report ranked it as one of the 10 worst signings in free agency this offseason.

“Thirty million a season is a lot to give a player whose career high in sacks (8.5) came as a rookie with the Miami Dolphins in 2021,” Gary Davenport wrote.

“The fact that only New York Giants edge-rusher Abdul Carter had fewer sacks last year with more than 50-plus pressures isn’t the only issue with Phillips. His pass-rush win rate last year with the Philadelphia Eagles was under 10 percent, and he has a lengthy injury history—he ruptured his Achilles tendon in 2023 and tore his ACL the following year.”

The Panthers clearly saw something in Phillips that Davenport doesn’t see to give him a four-year contract. The hope is that he can find a way to the player he was earlier in his career, before those injuries derailed his previous success.