The Panthers got what they secretly wanted in the draft, and they can still get a QB
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When the Panthers were putting the finishing touches on their draft board this week, the staff went through about 50 scenarios of how first five picks could go.
Nearly all of those scenarios had former N.C. State offensive tackle Ikem “Ickey” Ekwonu gone within the top five picks ahead of the Panthers’ selection at No. 6.
But when the Panthers were on the clock, he was still there. And on Thursday night, they took Ekwonu with the sixth pick.
“This was the best-case scenario for us,” Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer said Thursday night. “I can’t say a couple of days ago that we would have ever thought this would happen.”
Going into the draft, the Carolina’s two biggest holes included offensive tackle and quarterback. This offensive tackle class was top-heavy and deep.
The quarterback class was neither. The first and only quarterback to come off the board Thursday was Pitt’s Kenny Pickett at No. 20 to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
But by taking Ekwonu, the Panthers addressed one of their biggest needs, while also getting one of the top players in this class. Some draft experts had Ekwonu possibly going first overall.
Carolina has made major improvements this offseason to help turn around what has been a disappointing two seasons in Rhule’s first two years as head coach, going 10-23 since he was hired.
Rhule hired veteran coaches like offensive line coach James Campen, defensive passing game coordinator Steve Wilks, offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo and others. They re-signed cornerback Donte Jackson, extended wide receiver DJ Moore and signed a few potential starters at other positions, including on the offensive line.
Ekwonu adds to that.
“I feel like we’ve added a lot of really good players, and we’ve got a lot of really good players,” Rhule said. “So this was about getting an impact player, and we felt like Ickey was an impact player.”
Some draft experts had the Panthers going with a quarterback with the sixth pick. It took the first five picks being all defensive players for the Panthers to land Ekwonu.
And that’s what the Panthers were quietly hoping for, so they could get a highly rated player while still addressing perhaps their most pressing need, a source with direct knowledge told The Charlotte Observer in March.
Day 2 is where things get interesting, though. Fitterer said the meat of this draft is 25-50, where you can still get some quality starters.
But the Panthers don’t have a second- or third-round pick, as things stand Friday morning. They won’t pick again until pick No. 137 in the fourth round. They have four more picks after that.
When they traded for quarterback Sam Darnold in 2021, they also gave away their second- and fourth-round picks in 2022. So far, he hasn’t panned out.
And when they traded for C.J. Henderson in September, they gave away their third-round pick.
When asked was there any chance the Panthers would pick on Day 2, Fitterer said they’d look into trading up.
“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 the what’s best for the Panthers long term?”
The issue is that trading up could cost the Panthers a 2023 pick. And Fitterer has said he’d rather not give any picks in next year’s draft away. Ideally, the Panthers would like to package two Day 3 picks to get into the second- or third-round. But they’d also have to have a team agree to it.
If the Panthers can get a Day 2 pick, they must choose best available player at either quarterback or edge rusher — their two remaining biggest needs. Pickett was the only quarterback to come off the board Thursday night.
Quarterback Malik Willis, who the Panthers liked, is still there. So are Matt Corral, Desmond Ridder, Sam Howell and Bailey Zappe, who all came in for top-30 visits this past month.
But giving away any more picks to get into Day 2 also decreases their chances to trade for veteran quarterbacks Baker Mayfield or Jimmy Garoppolo.
Either way, the Panthers have to fix their quarterback position. They had only 14 touchdowns and 21 interceptions in 2021 between their three quarterbacks -- Darnold, P.J. Walker and Cam Newton.
Perhaps Day 2 is where they can get one. It’ll take conversations from the Panthers’ top brass and figuring out what’s the best way to move forward.
“There are still some really good players in this draft and we’ll also look at every opportunity outside the organization,” Fitterer said.
This story was originally published April 29, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "The Panthers got what they secretly wanted in the draft, and they can still get a QB."
