QUEEN CITY NEWS – The Panthers moved up on the final day of the 2022 NFL Draft selecting Penn State linebacker Brandon Smith with the 120th pick in the 4th Round on Saturday.
Day 3 consists of rounds 4-7 as the pinnacle event of the NFL offseason comes to a close in Las Vegas at the Bellagio.
1-on-1 with Panthers 6th overall pick & CLT native Ickey Ekwonu
The trade for the 2021 All-Big Ten selection sent two 5th-round picks to Washington. The Panthers still have the 189th, 199th, and 242nd overall picks left to make.
The Panthers made some news on Thursday with another trade, this one with the New England Patriots, jockeying for a higher pick and drafting Ole Miss QB Matt Corral. GM Scott Fitterer said he’s happy with the current crop of QBs on the team despite the rumors that have been swirling about Carolina’s interest in the Cleveland Browns’ Baker Mayfield, who has requested a trade after the Browns signed embattled Texans QB Deshaun Watson.
In four years at Mississippi, Corral threw for 57 touchdowns and 23 interceptions while completing 67.3% of his passes for 8,287 yards. He also ran for 1,338 yards and 18 TDs.
“I have always believed in drafting and developing your guys,” Fitterer said. “Obviously there is a market out there where you can go find guys that are veterans. But we needed a young guy of our own to develop as the future of this team.”
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On Day 1 the Panthers selected Charlotte-area native Ikem “Ickey” Ekwonu with the No. 6 overall pick. The 6’4″, 310-pound offensive tackle out of NC State by way of Providence Day High School is expected to make an immediate impact. “The fact that every step of my football journey I’ve been in North Carolina, I think that says something,” Ekwonu said.
The Panthers have had back-to-back 5-win seasons and are soul searching. Sam Darnold is expected to be the starting quarterback heading into the season. Christian McCaffrey is expected to return from an injury-plagued 2021 season that had him in and out of the lineup and was ultimately shut down as the end of the tumultuous year played out. Rhule fired his offensive coordinator Joe Brady, and Rhule himself is considered to be on thin ice immediately heading into the season. Speaking with the media earlier this week, owner David Tepper said Rhule has his full support, as does Darnold.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.