The Carolina Panthers' 2026 NFL Draft class is passing with flying colors.
After years of mediocrity and busted picks under a series of incompetent executives, president of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan has seemingly righted the ship. Not only are the Panthers your reigning NFC South champions, but their work this offseason may end up keeping it that way.
Following a splashy trip through free agency, Carolina made more waves in this past weekend's draft. René Bugner, who put together his annual chart of each team's GPA for their picks, has the Panthers with the ninth-highest mark (3.34) in the league:
🚨 2026 NFL Draft Team GradesIn my annual draft grades round-up, I have compiled 24 different evaluations and calculated the GPA for all 32 teams.I sorted the evaluations by GPA as well. From left (soft) to right (hard graders).Thanks to all who give out grades every year! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/VysunPaW9H
To review, the Panthers filled long-term needs at offensive tackle and center with Monroe Freeling (19th overall) and Sam Hecht (144th). They also found quarterback Bryce Young another big receiving weapon in wideout Chris Brazzell II (83rd), and finally landed a solid partner to place next to Derrick Brown inside with defensive tackle Lee Hunter (49th).
Our only real beef with this draft class is that it doesn't include a tight end, perhaps their weakest spot on the roster. Despite being connected to many a tight end leading into the process, Carolina came away with zero of the 22 who were drafted.
That said, no draft class is absolutely perfect—and tight end is a relatively unimportant position compared to the team's other pressing needs.
The Panthers are much more competitive now than they were at this time last week. And that, when it comes to acing the test, is all that matters.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: 2026 NFL Draft: Carolina Panthers earn top-10 GPA for their picks