Selecting one offensive lineman from Raleigh worked out pretty well for the Carolina Panthers this past year. So, how about another?
As first reported by Jordan Schultz of theScore on Wednesday, the Panthers will meet with North Carolina State University guard Chandler Zavala ahead of the 2023 NFL draft. Being that the 6-foot-5, 325-pounder is local, the meeting likely will not count as a top-30 visit for the team.
#NCState OG Chandler Zavala has had five Top 30 visits and will meet with the #Panthers next, source tells @theScore.
Zavala – whose also met with the #Lions – allowed just one QB hit and zero sacks on 422 pass-blocking snaps last season for the Wolfpack.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 5, 2023
Following a four-year stay at Fairmount State University, Zavala played his fifth and sixth seasons of college eligibility at NC State. He appeared in five games in 2021, alongside current Panthers left tackle and sixth overall pick Ikem Ekwonu, and 12 in 2022—all from the left guard position.
According to Pro Football Focus, Zavala allowed zero sacks, one quarterback hit and seven hurries over those two years. That body of work helped him earn a 71.5 overall grade from PFF in 2021 and a 76.0 in 2022.
If all goes well and the dominoes fall a certain way, perhaps Ekwonu won’t be a one-man wolf pack much longer.
