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Dan Morgan had a busy Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft. Three Saturday trades helped dictate the Carolina Panthers general manager's moves.
The maneuvers were capped in the seventh round with Morgan selecting Miami (Ohio) linebacker Jackson Kuwatch.
The pick developed during Morgan's final deal of the draft. Moving up seven spots to No. 151 to select Zakee Wheatley, the Pathers and Miami Dolphins also swapped lower-round picks. Morgan ended up with the 227th pick.
A Mid-American Conference-level competitor, Kuwatch compiled 109 total tackles last season, including five sacks and one pass defensed.
Panthers tab Miami (Ohio) LB Jackson Kuwatch
Listed at 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, Kuwatch was a leader on the RedHawks team that went 7-7 overall, 6-2 MAC.
The Athletic listed Kuwatch on its "The Beast" section, listing the Cincinnati native as the No. 22-ranked linebacker. The underdog was a zero-star recruit out of Lakota West (Ohio) High School, despite earning all-state honors as a senior.
Kuwatch played the middle linebacker role in the RedHawks' 4-2-5 base defense. A likely special-teams contributor to start his career, it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to the Panthers' 3-4 base defense.
Capping a busy three-day draft, Morgan played ping-pong with two fourth-round trades, netting physical cornerback Will Lee III with the 129th selection. As he prophetized during his April 14 pre-draft press conference, Morgan used the 144th pick to select Kansas State center Sam Hecht in the fifth round.
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