On Tuesday, Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer assured reporters (and Sam Darnold, apparently) that he’d soon be adding a quarterback to the roster. But he probably won’t be doing it with the sixth overall pick of the 2022 NFL draft.
Let’s start with a report earlier in the week from Bridget Condon of the NFL Network. Condon, during an appearance on NFL Now, stated that it’d be somewhat of a surprise for the Panthers to use that selection on a passer.
“The two most notable needs for the Carolina Panthers—offensive line and quarterback,” she said. “What I’m hearing is that as of right now, it’s very unlikely for the Panthers to take a quarterback with that sixth overall pick. And the reason why is because there’s doubt about one of the quarterbacks in this year’s draft being good enough to take at six. So what are the options for the Panthers? What they’d like to do is trade back—possibly get a left tackle a little bit later than six—and be able to get a quarterback in the second or third round whether that’s Desmond Ridder, Sam Howell—hometown guy, they really like him too.”
Speaking of Ridder and Howell, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler echoed Condon’s sentiment on Carolina’s potential interest in the two. In his final set of notes on the draft, Fowler mentions the same strategy Fitterer and company may be aiming for.
“If the Panthers can successfully trade back from the No. 6 pick and gain more draft capital (they have no Day 2 picks), taking a quarterback later in Round 1 becomes more palatable,” he writes. “How the offensive tackle market shapes up in the top five picks could determine Carolina’s choice. Ekwonu impressed during the process as Carolina did its homework on the top tackles.
“We’ve highlighted Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder’s strong pre-draft process, and now it’s time to do the same for another quarterback: North Carolina’s Sam Howell. I’ve heard his name a lot in recent days, with several coaches saying his pre-draft interviews were impressive. He might not go in Round 1, but he should have a strong market on Day 2. Seattle (No. 40) is a realistic possibility. Carolina likes him, too, but again, it doesn’t yet have any Day 2 picks.”
And to top it all off, at least for now, Joseph Person of The Athletic threw out an interesting nugget on Tuesday as well. According to Person, the braintrust has had trouble coming to a consensus on how the class’ quarterbacks rank leading up to Thursday.
That type of uncertainty isn’t particularly reassuring for such a prospect, especially considering the weight both the selection and the position hold. Oh, and they may also have to wait 131 slots to make their next pick—so it’s an investment they just cannot afford to fumble.
