Sports Illustrated's way-too-early 2026 NFL mock draft has Florida football defensive lineman Caleb Banks taken in the first round.

CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards recently identified one questionable pick for every franchise. For Carolina, it was Florida defensive tackle Cam Jackson. The 140th overall selection in Round 5 is a run-stuffing specialist, but his lack of production against the pass led to this critique.

NFL draft was so good to the Carolina Panthers that we're already looking forward to next year's selection process. Here, courtesy of a few fresh mock drafts, are the (very, very, very) early first-round projections for the Panthers in 2026 .