Panthers selected Texas A&M CB Will Lee III with the No. 129 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Lee III offers ideal measurables at 6’1/189 with 32⅝-inch arms and a 9.39 RAS, pairing elite explosiveness (42" vertical, 11’0” broad) with above-average linear speed. Across 1,081 career coverage snaps, he allowed 80 receptions on 147 targets (54.4 percent) for 1,330 yards with a bloated 16.6 yards per catch, illustrating a boom-or-bust vertical profile. In 2025, Lee surrendered 32 catches for 520 yards (16.3 Y/R) with a 55.2 percent catch rate, while his 16.1 percent missed tackle rate and 9 misses point to inconsistent finishing despite 43 total tackles. His length and timing show up at the catch point with eight-plus PBUs in each of his last three FBS seasons, and he flashes a downhill trigger to undercut slants and disrupt underneath spacing. However, wiry play strength and grabby tendencies lead to lost leverage and penalties, particularly when receivers win inside early in the route. Lee projects as a traits-driven press-man boundary corner whose explosive testing and ball disruption give him developmental starter upside if he cleans up discipline and improves play strength.
