Carolina Panthers president of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan seems to be getting pretty good at this whole drafting thing, isn't he?The former linebacker began the 2026 selection process by allowing Georgia's Monroe Freeling, perhaps the best true left tackle of this class, to fall into his lap with the 19th overall pick. Morgan then attacked Day 2 by trading up for All-American defensive tackle Lee Hunter in the second round and scooping up the speedy wideout Chris Brazzell II in the third.So, how will Morgan and company close this one out on Saturday afternoon?Here is our Day 3 mock draft for the Panthers . . .Fourth round (No. 119): Jalon Kilgore, S, South CarolinaThe Panthers finally address the safety/nickel position by shopping at their favorite local spot—the University of South Carolina.At 6-foot-1 and 210-pounds, Kilgore is a lengthy defensive back with plenty of potential.
While there's certainly room to grow for the 21-year-old, he's already put his ball skills on record—with eight interceptions and 21 passes defensed over 36 games in college.Fifth round (No. 158, via MIN): Kaleb Elarms-Orr, LB, TCUCarolina also finally gets in the mix for an inside linebacker, giving 2024 third-round pick Trevin Wallace some potential competition.Elarms-Orr, who the front office is reportedly high on, has the production and the athleticism that Morgan looks for. He recorded 130 tackles and 4.0 sacks in 2025, then posted a Relative Athletic Score of 9.92.Sixth round (No. 196, via MIN): Jager Burton, C, KentuckyLike former starting center Cade Mays, Burton offers a bit of versatility throughout the interior of the offensive trench.Sixth round (No. 200): Tanner Koziol, TE, HoustonKoziol—6-foot-6, 247 pounds—put up some relatively stellar numbers to finish out his collegiate career. He recorded 168 catches for 1,566 yards and 14 touchdowns between 2024 and 2025.Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers Day 3 mock draft: Predictions for 2026's final rounds