Auburn Tigers defensive end Keldric Faulk (15) runs through drills during practice at Woltosz Football Performance Center in Auburn, Ala. on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NFL Mock Draft Gives Carolina Panthers Blessing on Defense

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Russell Baxter | Last updated Jan 27, 2026 4:00 PM ET

There used to be the storied argument between Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. Was it duck season or rabbit season?

More important, when it comes to the National Football League, it’s currently mock draft season. There are numerous authors and there will be updated versions, right up until the event kicks off on April 23 in Pittsburgh.

The Carolina Panthers are now the reigning NFC South champions, but finished with an 8-9 record. They put up a gallant fight against the Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs, but the truth is that Dave Canales’s improved team closed out 2025 with three consecutive choices.

Panthers’ general manager Dan Morgan and the team will have the 19th overall pick in April. Cody Williams of FanSided has Canales’s club opting for Auburn University edge rusher Keldric Faulk, a player this analyst doesn’t appear to be entirely high on. “I said it last week and I'll say it again,” explained Williams, “Keldric Faulk isn't my cup of tea on the whole. There's a legitimate chance, in my estimation, that he falls to the very end of the first round, if not to Day 2. Having said that, smarter and more plugged-in people than myself still have him even higher than this, so I'll meet in the middle.”

Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“The idea of Faulk would fit well with the Panthers defense,” added Williams. “While his lack of pass-rush production is a concern, he's a versatile inside-out body with a big frame for an edge, and can be an elite run defender on the edge right away.”

Faulk spent three seasons with the Tigers, and totaled just 10.0 sacks in 27 games. It’s worth noting that seven of those QB traps in 2024, when he finished with a career-best 45 tackles in a dozen games. Williams noted that he felt that the 6’6”, 285-pound prospect could aid a team against the run. The Panthers were much-improved in this aspect from 2024, when they allowed a league-high 179.8 yards per game. They knocked that down to 123.3 yards per game rushing this past season, so there’s obviously more work to be done here.

This article first appeared on Carolina Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: