NFL teams have been giving away quarterbacks like Oprah gives away cars. Alas, the Carolina Panthers haven’t wound up with any of them.
With all the previously-available worthwhile passers now settled into their homes, head coach Matt Rhule and general manager Scott Fitterer have come up empty-handed thus far. Either by trade or whatever was left in free agency, the team hasn’t been able to secure a new answer under center this offseason.
So, the next swing may come at the end of April with the 2022 NFL draft. And if that’s the case, NFL.com senior analyst Gil Brandt believes their best fit amongst all the incoming prospects is University of Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett.
“The Panthers have not been shy about taking swings at quarterback since the Matt Rhule era began in 2020, with Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Darnold failing to solve the position in successive seasons in Carolina,” Brandt writes. “Pickett’s hand size (most recently measuring 8 5/8 inches) might raise an eyebrow or two, but he is otherwise the most ready among the QBs in this class to step in and run a pro offense. And while Carolina’s roster has holes, there is enough talent on offense (Christian McCaffrey, DJ Moore, Robby Anderson) and defense (Brian Burns, Jeremy Chinn) for this team to offer Pickett a chance to win immediately. Pickett ranked sixth in passing yards (4,319) in FBS and fourth in passing TDs (42) last season at Pittsburgh. Encouragingly for his NFL prospects, he also excelled against disguised coverages, according to Pro Football Focus (141.6 passer rating, highest among FBS QBs with 50-plus such attempts).”
The Panthers were just about in full-force at Pickett’s pro day this past Monday. Along with Rhule and Fitterer came assistant general manager Dan Morgan, offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo and quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan.
As Brandt states, Pickett is the most pro-ready player at the position in this class—which’ll give Rhule his best chance at winning this upcoming season. But is the best choice for 2022 the right choice for the franchise’s future as a whole?
That’s a question we’ll find out the answer to—or not if a premier hog molly is still on the board—on April 28.
