Ever since Cam Newton departed for the first time, the Carolina Panthers have had issues finding their next quarterback of the future. While the 2022 NFL Draft certainly provided quite a few interesting storylines to follow with its drafted QBs, the Panthers may have lucked into finding their next starter.
Tied to pretty much every QB in the draft plus a few veterans already in the league, it is no secret that the Panthers are wanting to move on from Sam Darnold. Having struggled ever since being acquired from the Jets, Carolina has been looking to, at a minimum, bring in a veteran to compete with the USC veteran in hopes of actually making their trade worth their while.
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Carolina Panthers 2022 NFL Draft Grades
Round 1, Pick 6 – Ikem Ekwonu, T (North Carolina State)
Grade – A+
It is very obvious that the Panthers were one of the few teams consistently being mocked a QB at sixth overall, but with how the draft board fell this year, it was a great move on their part not to panic and select one of them.
Going instead with the best offensive tackle in the 2022 NFL Draft in NC State’s Ikem Ekwonu was an excellent move and one that will help solidify whoever is in the pocket for the next four-plus seasons. Ekwonu is a superb prospect that will excel in Matt Rhule’s offensive plan, and he likely will return value instantaneously for this team in his rookie season.
Round 3, Pick 94 – Matt Corral, QB (Ole Miss)
Grade – A
Having sent their 2022 2nd round pick (along with other pieces) for Darnold meant that there was quite a long time in between selections for the Panthers, but they did well to make them count.
Ole Miss’ Matt Corral fell right into the lap of the Panthers in the 3rd round, and he represents a fantastic value for a player that could unseat Darnold right out of the gate. Certainly rougher on the edges than some QB prospects this year, Corral has great athleticism and will likely fit right in next to Christian McCaffrey in the backfield.
Round 4, Pick 120 – Brandon Smith, LB (Penn State)
Grade – C
While Carolina has had a Luke Kuechly-size hole in their LB group for a while now, it feels as though Brandon Smith was a bit of a reach at this point in the draft. With a lot of great skills that show up on tape, Smith will need to translate those into on-field results, something that is not thought of as being a likely outcome by many industry experts.
Round 6, Pick 189 – Amaré Barno, DE (Virginia Tech)
Grade – B-
Similar to Smith in terms of having fantastic traits, Virginia Tech’s Amaré Barno has a lot of developable characteristics that Carolina will need to unlock to be able to utilize him in a reserve unit. Barno had a strong 2020 season (16 TFL, 6.5 sacks, 2 PD & 2 FF) but did not produce in that regard the following year, making him a bit of a risky selection for the Panthers, but one that could become a solid choice.
Round 6, Pick 199 – Cade Mays, OL (Tennessee)
Grade – B
Positional flexibility cannot be overvalued in the NFL, especially on the offensive line, so having experience at all five positions is great for Cade Mays. The Tennessee OL has the skills to likely remain on the interior of the line, most likely at center, and the Panthers look to have snagged a solid option with their second-to-last selection.
Round 7, Pick 242 – Kalon Barnes, CB (Baylor)
Grade – C
The Baylor Bears produced a very strong defensive secondary this past season, headlined by Jalen Pitre and J.T. Woods. But CB Kalon Barnes should not be overlooked, but due to his speed alone.
As Barnes enters the league, he has an uphill climb to making a roster, as he needs to rely less on his catch-up speed and more on his coverage abilities, which also need development.
Overall Grade – B+
While the late rounds may not look great on paper for the Panthers, their first two selections are fantastic values in their own rights.
For Ekwonu, he went from being in contention for the first overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft to falling out of the top five completely, presenting the Panthers with great value.
For Corral, the Panthers had to come out of this draft with one of the top five QBs, and by letting Corral fall to them in the 3rd round, there were able to utilize all of their selections to plug roster needs and still get out of there with a developmental piece at signal-caller.
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