TE, S Among Panthers’ Potential First-Round Targets

The Panthers have set up a “30” visit with Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr., signaling they could spend their first-round pick on a wide receiver for the third straight year. Head coach Dave Canales acknowledged choosing a wideout at 19th overall is a possibility, though there are also other positions on the Panthers’ radar in their search for an impact rookie (via David Newton of ESPN).

“It could be a wideout. It could be a tight end. Could be a safety,” Canales said. “There’s a couple of dynamic safeties that could free us up. The pass-rush class, we’ve got to still kind of see where they are at the top. Where do we think the top guys are going? Look at the mocks and all that, and see where there might be a little bit of a dropoff there.”

The Panthers have already taken a home run swing on a pass rusher this offseason, having given former Dolphin and Eagle Jaelan Phillips a four-year, $120MM payday in free agency. On the other hand, they have not made any needle-moving additions at tight end or safety, leaving room for upgrades.

Carolina is set to welcome back top three tight ends Tommy Tremble, Ja’Tavion Sanders and Mitchell Evans next season, but there is not a big-time pass-catching threat in the group. If the Panthers invest in the position with their first-rounder, odds are they will end up with Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq. Barring something unforeseen, no other tight end will come off the board in Round 1 this year.

Sadiq’s stock was already high after a second-team All-America season in which he won Big Ten Tight End of the Year honors. He further helped his cause with a stellar performance at the Combine. The highlight of the 6-foot-3, 241-pounder’s showing was a 4.39-second 40-yard dash. That is the fastest 40 time for a tight end since at least 2003.

At safety, the Panthers brought back Nick Scott on a modest one-year deal early in free agency. He and Tre’von Moehrig easily led Panthers safeties in snaps last year. Scott, Moehrig and 2025 fourth-rounder Lathan Ransom remain in the fold, but Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman and Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren may be the type of “dynamic” options Canales, general manager Dan Morgan and defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero are seeking at the position. Either Thieneman or McNeil-Warren would give Carolina someone with star potential to pair with Moehrig, who is a lock to start in the second season of a three-year, $51MM contract.