For another handful of NFL teams, it's onto the 2026 offseason, officially. And more specifically, we're taking a look at the 2026 NFL Draft for the teams that lost on Wild Card weekend.
Teams that made the playoffs but got bounced quickly have to figure out the best way to bounce back, and how to add the biggest difference makers they possibly can from what appears to be somewhat of an underwhelming class of incoming prospects.
As the dust settles from a chaotic weekend of football, let's take a look at which prospects might be the ideal top picks for each of the losing teams.
2026 NFL Mock Draft: The ideal picks for Wild Card round losers
Carolina Panthers: Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
During the Carolina Panthers' playoff loss against the Los Angeles Rams, they suffered injury on top of the insult of losing the game. Starting left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, one of the more underrated offensive tackles in the league, suffered a torn patellar tendon that will likely affect the start of his 2026 season.
And patellar tendon injuries are not nearly as commonly overcome as ACL tears these days. In fact, it's quite rare for offensive linemen to come back from those and return to full strength, though nothing is impossible.
Not to be doom and gloom for Panthers fans, but that injury will require an insurance selection early in next year's draft. And if the talented Kadyn Proctor from Alabama is on the board, he could be the ideal selection in terms of talent and upside.