15. Minnesota Vikings - Jeremiah Love, RB, Notre Dame
The Minnesota Vikings could enter the 2026 NFL Draft with an “all hands on deck” approach to make things work with JJ McCarthy, who has been mostly ‘out’ of the lineup due to injuries. McCarthy has looked fine in his first few starts in the NFL, but even when he begins 2026, he’ll still be very early in his career.
This is effectively his rookie season, as he did not play a single regular season game in 2024 due to a knee injury. The Vikings also have a strong roster and are going to waste it if McCarthy is not the answer. One position they could address at the top of the 2026 NFL Draft to make life easy for McCarthy is running back.
Jeremiyah Love is the best RB in the country and someone who could become an instant game-wrecker at the next level. Vikings’ GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has also struggled a bit in the NFL Draft, so he simply has to begin hitting on some of these picks.
Love feels like a slam-dunk success at the NFL level.
16. Carolina Panthers - Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
How about the Carolina Panthers? Now 5-4, the Panthers are hanging around in the NFC, and both sides of the ball are gradually improving. It’s still a work in progress, and the Panthers don’t really feel like a playoff team at the moment, but this team is absolutely trending in the right direction.
Panthers’ GM Dan Morgan has a huge decision to make next offseason, though, as third-year QB Bryce Young just hasn’t been anything special in the NFL, and he was not the GM that drafted Young.
However, there might not be a clear-cut upgrade available, and the Panthers do have a win-now roster. What they might instead do is again load up with as much talent as possible, and that would include being active in free agency and perhaps grabbing Jermod McCoy in the 2026 NFL Draft to help out Ejiro Evero’s defense.