Panthers may be hoping this offensive weapon falls to them in first round of NFL Draft

While speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Carolina Panthers general manager Dan Morgan insisted that he could spend a first-round draft pick on a wide receiver for the third straight year once the 2026 player-selection process gets underway on the night of April 23. 

Morgan also announced expected news and said that he intends to pick up the fifth-year option for 2027 attached to the contract for quarterback Bryce Young in the near future. For a piece published on Wednesday, NFL insider Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom US shared that Morgan may be hoping that Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq falls to the Panthers at overall pick No. 19. 

Executives expect the Panthers to go in this direction during the first round of the NFL Draft

"The team could try to find another big-play guy in Day 2 of the draft and address the offensive line first," La Canfora said about the Panthers, "but that’s not the expectation among some of the personnel execs I’ve talked to." 

Specifically, one unnamed general manager told La Canfora that he thinks Carolina will grab "the Oregon tight end or a receiver" with choice No. 19. 

"The owner needs this to work with Bryce," that general manager explained. "[Young is] not the kind of quarterback who is going to be throwing guys open all over the place. He needs weapons." 

The general manager was referencing how Young has produced a mixed bag of results since the Panthers made him the first pick of the 2023 draft. Hall of Famer Kurt Warner is among those who warned this past winter that Carolina shouldn't make any Young-related investment this offseason other than picking up the fifth-year option after the signal-caller helped the 2025 Panthers claim the NFC South division title via tiebreaker advantage with a record of 8-9.

Is Kenyon Sadiq a realistic target for the Panthers?

For mock drafts updated on Wednesday, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. and Dane Brugler of The Athletic predicted that Sadiq won't fall to the Panthers. However, Todd McShay of The Ringer revealed on Wednesday morning that he thinks Carolina will make Sadiq the draft's 19th overall pick. 

"Sadiq is the clear top tight end in the draft class," Kiper wrote, "and he was one of the biggest winners of the combine, running a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash at 241 pounds and leaping 43½ inches in the vertical. That explosion is obvious on the tape, too. He had 560 receiving yards last season, and a lot of it came after the catch."