Panthers.com Mock Draft Report

[AU-panther]

1 hour ago, mrcompletely11 said:

Wait, you have Willis and pickett ranked over Neal, cross and Ikem?   That cannot be right

all it takes is one team to believe any of these QBs to be a franchise guy and that QB all of sudden becomes more important than any player in the draft.

QBs aren't even money bets like other positions, teams view them with a different set of rules when it comes draft time.

If we don't want a QB we should be hoping other teams fall in love with some of them.

 

[mc52beast]

Sure would’ve been nice if Brady had longer arms and got more snaps so the staff would know whether or not he could do the job at LT…

Could’ve traded down, for a couple extra picks and drafted the center from Iowa.

[Panthero]

8 hours ago, CAPantherFan said:

An overall look at who we may pick at 5/6.  Fun read....

https://www.panthers.com/news/2022-mock-draft-report-1-0-charles-cross-ahmad-gardner

CHARLOTTE - It's officially Mock Draft season for the Panthers. With the Senior Bowl practices coming next week, media outlets have started rolling out their predictions for the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, scheduled for the end of April in Las Vegas.

Take a look at the analysis from each outlet as the majority of writers focused in on Charles Cross, a junior offensive tackle out of Mississippi State.

 

NFL.com

 

 

CB Ahmad Gardner

Cincinnati

DANIEL JEREMIAH: The Panthers will likely have their pick of any quarterback in the draft class, but, barring an unexpected move, they're committed (at least financially) to Sam Darnold for one more season. Gardner is the most gifted cornerback in the draft and would team with Carolina's 2021 first-rounder, Jaycee Horn, to give the Panthers the best young duo in the NFL.

 

ESPN.com

 

 

OT Charles Cross

Mississippi State

MEL KIPER JR.: This is an easy call based on Carolina's biggest weakness: It has to get a better left tackle. The Panthers ranked last in the league in yards per play (4.6) and 28th in sacks allowed (52). They went into the season with journeyman Cameron Erving manning the spot and finished with rookie third-rounder Brady Christensen filling in. Taylor Moton is a really solid right tackle, but they can upgrade the left side with this pick.

Cross took a big leap in 2021, allowing just a single sack while playing in a pass-happy Mike Leach offense. He can be a big-time NFL left tackle. This isn't a reach pick. The Panthers need to hit here because they don't have second- or third-round picks due to trades for quarterback Sam Darnold and cornerback CJ Henderson. This is a massive draft for coach Matt Rhule, who fired his offensive coordinator and might have to make the playoffs in 2022 to keep his job.

 

CBS Sports

 

 

OT Charles Cross

Mississippi State

RYAN WILSON: Quarterback makes all the sense in the world here, but it's important to remember these two words: Fit matters. Put Mac Jones on the the Jets and he probably looks a lot more like Zach Wilson than a legit Rookie of the Year candidate. So knowing that, the Panthers bolster the offensive line and perhaps find their next franchise QB via free agency or a trade. Cross is a high-upside athletic offensive tackle who had a strong season for Mississippi State.

 

PFF

 

 

OT Charles Cross

Mississippi State

TREVOR SIKKEMA: It has got to be an offensive line selection for the Carolina Panthers — it just has to be. They’ll likely try to add some veteran talent at interior offensive line during free agency, but left tackle Cam Erving (56.0 PFF grade in 2021) and left guard Pat Elflien (50.1) can’t be counted on again.

Cross is still fine-tuning his craft, but he has really smooth movement for a player of his size. After flashing traits in his first year as a starter in 2020, he gave up only 16 pressures on 719 pass-blocking snaps this past season. It's hard to not think a great NFL career is ahead of him.

 

Athletic

 

 

OT Charles Cross

Mississippi State

DANE BRUGLER: If the Panthers strike out on their quarterback options in free agency and on the trade market, this could be the spot where we see the first quarterback drafted. This is Carolina’s only draft pick in the top 100, putting even more pressure on Matt Rhule and the organization to get this selection right.

Cross is talented enough to be OT1 on some team’s draft boards. He has the athleticism and movement patterns to be comfortable pass-blocking on an island, and his hands are well-timed and precise. Cross should be able to start from day one as a rookie.

 

Draft Network

 

 

OT Charles Cross

Mississippi State

BRYAN PEREZ: Carolina has been a popular landing spot for a quarterback in a lot of mock drafts, but I don’t think that’s the direction they’re going to take. Instead, they focus on the offensive line here with Cross, who’s a bit of an overlooked name at the top of the offensive tackle rankings. He’s a plus athlete but needs to get a little stronger before he can be considered a player with the same kind of upside as Ekwonu and Neal. Regardless, he’d be an immediate starter (and upgrade) for Matt Rhule and the Panthers.

 

[Mr. Scot]

8 hours ago, Dilla said:

I like DJ but if we draft another corner in the first, I'll flip out.

You won't be alone.

Pretty sure the fans would riot.

[Mr. Scot]

7 hours ago, Ricky Spanish said:

I have a sneaking suspicion that we are taking a QB at 6. 

Same.

Definitely not Willis though. I watched him against Mississippi State. The knock that he only plays big against weaker competition seems pretty valid.

Pickett or Corral, probably Pickett given that Rhule knows him from recruiting.

[ForJimmy]

3 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

Same.

Definitely not Willis though. I watched him against Mississippi State. The knock that he only plays big against weaker competition seems pretty valid.

Pickett or Corral, probably Pickett given that Rhule knows him from recruiting.

To defend Willis a little, he had no playmakers to compete against a top conference school like Ole Miss. His OL was terrible even in conference play. When the players around him equaled the talent of the competition he shined. Definitely a raw prospect, but if you put Corral on that Liberty team against Ole Miss’s defense you would probably see similar results…

[ForJimmy]

Josh Allen 9-24 64 yards 0 TDs 1 INT against Oregon.

23-40 174 yards 0 TDs 2 INTs against Iowa.

It’s hard to be competitive with a huge gap in the talent level around you vs your competition. 

[SmokinwithWilly]

1 hour ago, Daddy_Uncle said:

We've needed a franchise LT since Gross retired. This isn't a new development 

I'm not disagreeing with that. My point is BC played better than Erving in preseason. BC should have been starting week 1. Best player on the field. Right now we would know, is BC a swing tackle? Can he start in this league? Are his arms really an issue and he needs to be moved inside to guard? Right now we should know the answer to these questions and we don't. BC could have been an all pro (not saying he is), but we would never know because Rhule refused to play him. That's why I say we're drafting for need. Because we wasted time determining whether or not BC was worth being our starter for no damn good reason. 

[WOW!!]

Wills is not ready to run a NFL offenses.. He is 1 read and go right now.. He has to sit Atleast a year to get him to his full potential.. You throw him out there after drafting him so high with everybody having to learn a new offense and a new Oline Hopefully (that won't be built from the draft) smfh.. You've thrown away that pick and ruined  that player.   

[WOW!!]

Omg this idiot is going to draft Pickett to save his job..  And were stuck with Andy Dalton as our QB...

[CAPantherFan]

Bucky Brooks has us going CB!  LOL!  It may happen folks!  Woohoo!

 

https://www.nfl.com/news/bucky-brooks-2022-nfl-mock-draft-1-0-kenny-pickett-matt-corral-only-qbs-selected

[Mr. Scot]

1 hour ago, ForJimmy said:

To defend Willis a little, he had no playmakers to compete against a top conference school like Ole Miss. His OL was terrible even in conference play. When the players around him equaled the talent of the competition he shined. Definitely a raw prospect, but if you put Corral on that Liberty team against Ole Miss’s defense you would probably see similar results…

What I saw of him was... uninspiring. He wasn't a great passer or a great runner, even when he had opportunities.

No way I'd take him higher than the third or fourth round with the expectation that he'll be a project.

For uthe record, Corral didn't look like anything special in that game either. He was competent though, good enough to get the job done.

Edited January 26, 2022 by Mr. Scot

[07579394]

Full of Charles Crossbut i think we must trade down

[Jackie Lee]

36 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

What I saw of him was... uninspiring. He wasn't a great passer or a great runner, even when he had opportunities.

No way I'd take him higher than the third or fourth round with the expectation that he'll be a project.

For uthe record, Corral didn't look like anything special in that game either. He was competent though, good enough to get the job done.

I think with the right coaching he could clean up some footwork and be really good. He's just kinda raw playing in the pocket, but if it clicks he's got the highest ceiling out of the QB's this year. I'd take him in the 2nd if we had a pick and he was sitting there. We have the exact opposite coaching staff he needs though so I wish him success elsewhere, our QB coach is ok but Mcadoo's system doesn't cater to his strengths and Rhule is just a guy here for some reason