The Carolina Panthers didn't spend much time off the clock . After selecting Kansas State center Sam Hecht with the 144th pick, they moved up to 151 from 158, taking Penn State safety Zakee Wheatley there. The Panthers came in needing a safety and passed on one several times. Dillon Thieneman, notably, was available to them in the first round, and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren was there in the second round. Instead, they waited and got Zakee Wheatley. Dan Morgan checking boxes: It's Penn State safety Zakee Wheatley at 151. — Joe Person (@josephperson) April 25, 2026 We mentioned in our analysis of the Hecht pick that he was ESPN's 80th-ranked prospect. Well, Wheatley is number 82. He's the seventh-best safety prospect, so once again, the Panthers got unreal value. The only way this could've been better, in our eyes, is if they'd taken Jalon Kilgore. The safety was ranked even higher than Wheatley, though the Panthers obviously prefer Wheatley by a little bit.…