19. Carolina Panthers - Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon
The Carolina Panthers made two big-time free agency investments on the defensive side of the ball, signing Devin Lloyd and Jaelan Phillips. Both players are going to be improvements from what they had before, and this front office continues to invest heavily on the open market.
In 2025, despite a losing season, the Panthers did make the playoffs and gave the Los Angeles Rams a fun for their money in the Wild Card Round. Carolina simply has to take another step forward this coming season, and it really does boil down to Bryce Young.
Young did play the best football of his career in 2025, but he was still largely average and not really anything close to a franchise quarterback. For the time being, the Panthers will continue to bolster the defense, selecting Dillon Thieneman from Oregon.
20. Dallas Cowboys - CJ Allen, LB, Georgia
After taking a cornerback with their first pick at the 12th overall selection, the Cowboys snag one of the most intelligent players in the NFL Draft in CJ Allen. Allen was running the defense out there for Georgia and is one of the more ‘safer’ prospects in the draft.
That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though. While Allen may not end up being a future All-Pro, he profiles as a steady starter for years, and he’d fit nicely into the new-look Cowboys defense. As long as Dallas fields an average unit in 2026, they’ll end up winning double-digit games and perhaps even win the NFC East.
The nice thing about Dallas is that their needs are quite obvious, and they really have a ton of resources to be able to fill those needs. It's going to be a massive failure if this team fails to improve on that side of the ball in 2026.