CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Panthers traded up late to the third round Friday night and got their potential quarterback of the future.
The Panthers swapped picks with the New England Patriots and took Mississippi quarterback Matt Corral. The Panthers had considered Corral among the top three quarterbacks in this draft class.
Some draft experts had him going late in the first round.
But Corral, like the rest of the quarterback in this draft fell.
Kenny Pickett was the first quarterback to come off the board at No. 20. The next quarterback wasn’t drafted until the third round.
Fitterer said Thursday night that the Panthers would consider trading up into Day 2, but he has maintained that he didn’t want to part ways with any 2023 picks.
“We’ll look at every opportunity tomorrow,” he said. “You know, there are some ways we can do it. But we just have to figure out is it the right way. Is this what’s best for the Panthers long term?”
Drafting one also lessens the likeliness that the Panthers would trade for Jimmy Garoppolo or Baker Mayfield, unless either were to be on a cheap deal.
Entering the draft, Carolina was without a Day 2 pick after trading both away in the Sam Darnold trade last year and the C.J. Henderson trade in September. Fitterer said the Panthers view Henderson as their third-round pick this year.
For their first round pick, the Panthers took former N.C. State offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu sixth overall.
Ekwonu, a Charlotte native, was expected to go as high as No. 1, but he fell after a string of defensive players came off the board in the first five picks.
