Panthers GM opens door for team to make rare NFL Draft first-round selection

Despite using valuable draft capital on the position over the past two years, Carolina Panthers general manager Dan Morgan isn't ruling out once again selecting a wide receiver early in the 2026 NFL Draft.

As NFL.com noted, the third-year Panthers front-office executive recently discussed Carolina's draft strategy with the team's website, and Morgan emphasized he's open to adding a wideout in Round 1 for the third consecutive season.

"We're going to take the best player," Morgan said, then adding, "I wouldn't hesitate to draft another wideout.

"I don't think there's a rule that says you can't draft a wide receiver three years in a row. So I'm not really going to box us in and say we're not going to draft him."

Carolina Panthers open to adding first-round wide receiver in third consecutive draft

While Morgan is correct that there's no rule against teams selecting wide receivers in three consecutive first-rounds, organizations that draft well rarely use prime capital on the same position across multiple drafts.

Tetairoa McMillan, the reigning Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year, was a great pick. The returns have been much more disappointing, however, for 2024 first-rounder Xavier Legette, who Carolina selected at No. 32 overall after trading back into Round 1, sending No. 33 and No. 141 overall to the Buffalo Bills while also acquiring a 2024 sixth (No. 200 overall).

Over his first two seasons, Legette has 84 receptions, 860 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Last year, he received the third-lowest ESPN Analytics wide receiver score among 160 pass-catchers.

Per NFL.com's Kevin Patra, the Detroit Lions are the only team to use three consecutive first-round picks on wide receivers, doing so from 2003-05 when they selected Charles Rogers, Roy Williams and Mike Williams.

It would be tempting for Morgan to give quarterback Bryce Young another skilled wideout — perhaps someone such as 6-foot-4 Washington Huskies receiver Denzel Boston, who recently had a pre-draft visit with the organization. As ESPN's Field Yates noted on, Boston comes from the same system as McMillan, both being coached by Jedd Fisch in their final collegiate seasons.