Panthers' Draft Plan: Trade Up for Bain

0:00It's April 8th, NFL News Today starts now, AI powered and always on. Carolina Panthers got a hot take on their draft plans for 2026. Analyst Inzo Flojo says they need to trade up on April 23rd in Pittsburgh to grab Miami Edge R Usher, Rubin Bane, Jr. Their past rush has been trash, with the fewest sacks in the league since 2023 at 89 total. Last season, Egero Everose defense only nabbed 30 quarterback sacks, ranking near the bottom in pressure rate. Derek Brown and Rookie Nick Scorton tied for the team lead with just five each, leaving Brown looking like a lone wolf out there. Losing DJ Wantam to Detroit made it worse. Fans and experts see this as the key to going from contenders to dominators. Notting Jalen Phillips to a four year, $120 million deal helps, he flashed 15.5 sacks early in Miami before, injuries hit, and he bounced back with Philly last year. Still, it's not enough to shake off offenses.

1:02Flojo pushes for Bane as the game changer, with 20.5 college sacks and four force fumbles over three seasons at Miami. Pair him with Phillips, Scorton, and princely a man-mile in, and that front could terrorize quarterbacks. If Dan Morgan pulls this off, the Panthers flip their script from surviving to thriving in the NFC South Hunt.