Coming into the 2024 season, it appeared that the Carolina Panthers were well set at the wide receiver position. The front office felt so, anyway - enough that they sent Adam Thielen to the Minnesota Vikings for a Day 3 draft pick.
While they got a strong return, the trade has been brutal on their passing offense, which just had its first good complete game all season.
Tetairoa McMillan has been brilliant all year, but the rest of Carolina's receivers have lagged behind - with Xavier Legette disappointing more often than not (he's had just two solid games all year), and Jalen Coker just now finally starting to get going after missing the first third of the season.
While it would be tempting to think they don't need receiver help after what they did to the Atlanta Falcons, it should come as no surprise if the Panthers once again use a first-round pick on a wide receiver in 2026 NFL draft.
That's what a new mock draft from Matt Miller at ESPN projects, with Carolina taking USC star Makai Lemon at No.17 overall.
"Carolina should take another shot at a young pass catcher. Lemon is an efficient, smart route runner at 5-10 and 191 pounds. He won't wow you with leaping grabs on 50-50 passes, but he will carve up defenses and pick up yards after the catch. Much like Ladd McConkey, Lemon is a quarterback's best friend on underneath routes and provides enough downfield ability to open up the offense. Lemon would be a dream counterpart to McMillan's ability to body defensive backs."
Bryce Young
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) throws the ball during a game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium, Oct 19, 2025, East Rutherford, NJ, USA. / Yannick Peterhans / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
This might seem like overkill on the surface, but the fact is Bryce Young still needs more ammunition if he's going to take that next step in his development - which is performing the way that he did on Sunday on a semi-regular basis.
The hard fact is that the Panthes can't rely on Legette to produce every other week and there's no guarantee Coker will become a dependable weapon long-term given his quad history.
Using their first-round pick on another receiver looks like the best possible use of draft capital right now, with the possible exception of improving their cornerback room.
They could certainly do worse than Lemon, who has already totaled over 1,000 receiving yards this season and scored eight touchdowns.
The mention of Ladd McConkey in Miller's blurb has to sting Carolina fans a bit, as he would have been a far better choice than Legette in the 2024 draft. Adding a receiver like Lemon offers the opprtunity to erase that mistake and give Young exactly the kind of weapon he needs.
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