CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It wasn’t perfect, because no NFL draft ever is. It might implode, because all draft classes can. But the Carolina Panthers’ first two picks of the 2022 NFL draft sure look smart.
The Panthers suddenly appear to be a team that has learned patience in the front office and is starting to become the serious football place head coach Matt Rhule has always envisioned.
When the Panthers didn’t trade for Baker Mayfield or Jimmy Garoppolo on Friday night and instead took a much cheaper option by choosing Mississippi quarterback Matt Corral late in the third round, I could feel my head nodding in agreement. Mayfield would have been a mistake — a big contract for a guy whose skill set may not actually be any better than Sam Darnold’s. Garoppolo made a little more sense, but the money and the injury history sure didn’t.
