The Carolina Panthers’ defense has shown significant improvement through the first ten weeks of the 2025 NFL season. The boost hasn’t been by coincidence, as the Carolina front office emphasized the defensive side of the ball in free agency and this past April’s NFL Draft.
Safety Tre’von Moehrig and defensive linemen Tershawn Wharton and Bobby Brown III have been impact signings from day one. The Panthers drafted outside linebackers Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen in the second and third rounds, respectively, of the 2025 draft.
Getting better shouldn’t be confused with being content. The Carolina defense still has plenty of room to grow and become more threatening to opposing offenses.
Carolina Panthers Add Ammo to the Pass Rush in 2026 First Round Prediction
In Jacob Infante’s latest three-round NFL mock draft for PFSN, Infante predicts the Panthers to draft Texas A&M EDGE Cashius Howell with the No. 16 overall pick in the first round.
Howell is currently the leading sack artist in the SEC, registering 9.5 sacks through nine games, while also accumulating 21 total tackles, three passes defended, and one forced fumble.
A transfer from Bowling Green, Howell undeniably brings juice off the edge as a pass rusher with his well-stocked tool bag and array of attacks. He demonstrates a devastatingly quick get-off and good bend to corner and finish pressures, which he creates at a 21.5% pressure rate.
The fit may be tricky, however, given Carolina’s historic tendencies. Howell reportedly measures in at 6’2” and 248 pounds. The more significant obstacle could be the arm length, where Howell has been reported to measure under 31”. The Panthers have had a historical threshold of sorts that deterred the team from investing in players that didn’t at least have 33” arms.
Panthers Predicted to Continue SEC Shopping in Second and Third Round
Staying in College Station, Texas, Infante mocks the Panthers to draft cornerback Will Lee III with their second-round selection.
There are discrepancies when examining Lee’s physical stature, with his height listed anywhere from 6’1” to 6’3”. However, the length that the cornerback possesses and puts to functional use is evident in his play.
Carolina signed cornerback Mike Jackson to a two-year, $14.5 million contract back in March of this year. While Jackson has performed well this season, ranking No. 27 in PFSN’s CBi Metric, drafting a potential successor and camp competition for the veteran Jackson and second-year UDFA Corey Thornton makes a good bit of sense.
In the third round of his exercise, Infante stays in the SEC and predicts Carolina to invest the No. 80 overall pick on Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard.
The 6’1”, 204-pound Bernard is a tough-minded receiver. He can be counted on as an impact contributor in the run game as a blocker and has reliable hands to reward his quarterback for finding him.
While I think Carolina needs to continue adding weapons to its offense, Bernard doesn’t bring the prominent speed element and YAC creativity that the Panthers’ unit is currently lacking. The skill set and role may feel a touch redundant with Jalen Coker on the roster.