Making it to the NFL is a lifelong dream for thousands upon thousands of football players. But few make it. For the Panthers 2026 rookie class, the last four months have been a blur; a culmination of a dream years, even decades in the making. And a crash course in all it takes to become a player at the highest level of the sport.

Six of the Panthers seven draft picks from this year's class recently sat down to reflect on their draft day, the time since, the nerves of training camp, the excitement leading into the season opener, and more in their rookie diaries.

First up is Jackson Kuwatch. The Miami (OH) linebacker was drafted in the seventh round (227th overall) in the 2026 NFL draft.

I was with my family: Mom, Dad, stepdad, sisters, a couple of cousins, aunts, uncles. I would say that there were probably 20-25 people there. It was at my older sister's house, and she decorated it.

It's definitely a hectic hour, but it was because I was getting calls from some teams about, all right, it's getting towards the end of the draft, if you don't get picked, you should come here, you know, those kind of calls.

So when I got the call from the Panthers, at first I didn't really comprehend because I was getting the UDFA calls, so that last hour, I was on the phone with my agent back and forth, and maybe like five calls (from teams).

But it was certainly worth it at the end when I got the call from (general manager) Dan (Morgan) and the Panthers. It was surreal, a dream come true, so it was awesome. Definitely something I'll remember for the rest of my life.

(Rookie minicamp), I was excited, just blessed and happy to be here. You don't necessarily really know what to expect, so again, maybe a little bit of nerves here and there.

I would definitely say (a welcome to the NFL moment) that moment happened at the start of training camp when the pads came on. Like, obviously during OTAs and everything, I had so much to learn, and at the start I didn't know what I was doing yet.

Had a lot to learn. But definitely at the start of training camp, when pads were on, it was moving at a different speed than I did in college, for sure.

Having short-term memory is big. I was going to make a lot of mistakes, not fully knowing, still learning, not knowing what you're doing yet. I think that's huge. If you're swimming or struggling at times, or you have a not-so-good practice, those things are going to happen. So I think you have to give yourself grace and just have a short-term memory about stuff like that, and really just every day, just try and get better and better, and try your best not to make the same mistake that you did the day before.

All the veteran guys in the room have been so good to me since I got here. Devin Lloyd for sure, just picking his brain and asking him questions. He's such a smart, smart player and obviously a very, very good player. So having someone like him in the room has been very beneficial for me, and he's been great.

He's been so, so good to me since day one, since I got here. It has been very hands-on, and he's definitely wanted me to use my hands.  (The other day), if I remember correctly, there was like a pass rush against the running back, something I had a rep in practice, and it's little stuff like that that I think just builds up. He reminds me, tells me, like, even out on the field at practice, he's giving me tips, and it's been really good.

I would say the biggest thing would be my hands, trying to just get more violent with my punch on offensive linemen and tight ends. I knew that was something I needed to work on. But having someone like Devin hold you accountable for it or keep it at the forefront of your brain, I would say that would be something in the preseason that translated.

I stayed close to the phone (during roster cuts)  just so I wouldn't miss any calls. I had my girlfriend in town for the game and stayed for the weekend, so that was nice. We went out to lunch, so I had someone to spend time with. I wasn't alone, just waiting. But definitely some nerves throughout the day.

I really think for me, just, I'm motivated. I'm extremely happy and excited, but motivated and hungry to keep taking steps and keep getting better.

I haven't thought about (the season opener) that much, but I'm sure it'll be pretty awesome. It's certainly a cool environment here, and so I look forward to seeing the crowd that comes for the season opener and a game like that. I'm sure it'll be pretty awesome.

What would your message to Jackson 10 years ago be?

Just keep going. There's still time to achieve your dream; it's not over.  It's been a dream of mine since I was a little kid, so keep stacking days, and you'll get there.