The 2026 draft is in the history books. Hence, Eric Edholm of NFL.com wasted little time posting his NFL power rankings. Fast forward to the bottom half of the list, where Dave Canales’s defending division champions sit at a mediocre No. 17. “The NFC South has been something of a morass for the past few years,” said Edholm, “but Carolina is a team to watch.” As for the rest of the division, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (18th), Atlanta Falcons (22nd), and New Orleans Saints (23rd) aren’t far behind. Edholm had some promising things to say about the club, but there was a certain second-round selection from Texas Tech that he took the time to mention. One NFL analyst likes the direction the Panthers are headed in Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images “I like the upward trajectory of this franchise,” added Edholm, “ and it seemed to carry through with a draft class that has a chance to be pretty good.…