The Carolina Panthers were slotted to pick 51st , but they moved up. This is not at all surprising, as Dan Morgan has been aggressive with these mid-round trade-ups during his tenure as GM. Carolina selected Texas Tech defensive lineman Lee Hunter with the pick. They did meet with Hunter before the draft. This is a bit of a bold swing. The Panthers may have been able to stand pat and take Hunter, who is ESPN's 67th-ranked prospect. They also, for the second straight pick, passed on a plethora of pass-catchers, some of whom would've made excellent additions. Panthers trade up for Texas Tech nose tackle Lee Hunter, who had seven sacks and 31.5 tackles for loss over the past three seasons at UCF and Texas Tech. He's the A'Shawn Robinson replacement. — Joe Person (@josephperson) April 25, 2026 However, the interior of the defensive line needed some more help after the A'Shawn Robinson release. If nothing else, they needed another body, but Hunter projects as a potential starter, so there's value in that.…