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- One former NFL GM has the Carolina Panthers taking the first QB in the 2022 NFL Draft.
- The QB he thinks will be heading to Carolina is a bit of a surprise.
- Be sure to check out more sports stories at BroBible here.
We’re less than 30 days out from the start of the 2022 NFL Draft which means we’re going to hear more predictions and see more mock drafts our brains can handle over the next few weeks.
While the staples in the mock draft scene – Mel Kiper Jr. & Todd McShay – have been putting out mock drafts for months now, other ESPN analysts have started delivering their own. The latest do so is former NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum.
Tannenbaum’s mock draft is pretty standard until we get to the Carolina Panthers’ pick at sixth-overall. He has the Panthers taking QB Kenny Pickett in that spot.
“Yes, the Panthers still need a left tackle, and Ekwonu is still available. But as the stand-in GM, I’m instead thinking about the most important position on the field,” Tannenbaum wrote at ESPN. “Carolina missed out on Deshaun Watson and did nothing else to address a glaring weakness at quarterback.”
“It’s a consequential year for coach Matt Rhule, and the Panthers need to start putting wins on the board. Pickett has 49 career starts and is the most NFL-ready signal-caller of the bunch. Maybe it’s a slight reach, but we’re talking about a QB who could start right away for a team that desperately needs a better option.”
For comparison’s sake, McShay’s latest mock draft has the Panthers drafting offensive tackle Charles Cross at sixth-overall. Kiper Jr. sees the Panthers bettering their defense with the pick and drafting defensive end Travon Walker.
It wouldn’t be too big of a shock to see the Panthers draft a QB, but over the past few weeks, it’s Malik Willis out of Liberty getting all the love among the draft-eligible quarterbacks.