Round 1- Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State

Just as a disclaimer, I am fully expecting Morgan to move up and down in the draft next year, but as of today I'm only focusing on who we might draft with our current picks. And while our biggest need is definitely a QB, none of the guys in this draft are elite talents, so I would rather see us prioritize the defense here. Carter has gained a lot of Parsons comparisons, to the point where I wouldn't be surprised to see him be the first edge taken.

Round 2- Xavier Watts, S, Notre Dame

Considering that our great CB duo has been getting negated by terrible safety play, perhaps this is the year that we'll finally invest an early pick on the position. Watts is seen by many as one of the better safeties in this class, so getting a true FS like him would be a big help for our talentless defense.

Round 3- Jalen Royals, WR, Utah State

In a world where we're not drafting a QB in the first round, I have to imagine it's because Bryce is unfortunately still on the roster. So even though he is clearly not the future of this franchise, we will inevitably still try to surround him with more weapons so he can continue his "development". With that being said, I wouldn't be surprised to see us use a Day 2 pick on a receiver to replace Johnson. Royals makes sense for us because he can be a speedy deep threat on the outside that our offense has been missing.

Round 4- DeAndre Jules, NT, South Carolina

For some reason this team refuses to get our defense a true NT, and our inability to consistently defend the run has suffered as a result. So to avoid Brown having to singlehandedly carry the middle of our D-line, it would make sense to get him some help here. And it wouldn't be a Panthers draft if we didn't get at least one guy from South Carolina.

Round 4- Joshua Gray, OT/G, Oregon State

Even though our O-line is currently the most talented position group on our team, it is unfortunate that both of our starting centers are Free Agents after this season. Assuming we re-sign Christensen since he's younger and more versatile than Corbett, we would need a new swing tackle for O-line depth. Gray would make sense for us since he's started at both LT and OG in college.

Round 5- Smael Mondon Jr, LB, Georgia

Considering that Thompson is closer to retirement than he is to being a starting-caliber player for us, and our best LB in Jewell is a Free Agent next year, we could use some more depth at the position. Mondon would be a good fit since he's a versatile talent, and Georgia is known for producing quality LBs in the NFL.

Round 5- Cobee Bryant, CB, Kansas

Assuming our front office is smart enough to re-sign Jackson and extend Horn, our CB room is the best it's been in years. But we don't really have a consistent starter at nickel, so it wouldn't hurt to get some depth here.

Round 5- Donovan Smith, QB, Houston

Even if we go into next year with Bryce as our starting QB, we would be foolish to not address the position at all, especially with Dalton headed to Free Agency. Smith is a high upside talent that at the very least should be able to develop into a quality backup for us.

Round 7- Jack Stonehouse, P, Syracuse

Hekker isn't getting any younger, and you can tell his leg isn't quite what it used to be, so I could see us using our last pick on his replacement.