Thursday, April 14, 2022

Carolina Panthers 2022 NFL Mock Draft Roundup 7.0

Throughout the year and leading up to the 2022 NFL Draft, we will update our Carolina Panthers Mock Draft Roundup showing picks for the Carolina Panthers from several prominent sites and draft analysts.

The following are picks in recent mock drafts for the Panthers:

ESPN - Mel Kiper (4/13)

6. Malik Willis, QB, Liberty

Doesn't Carolina coach Matt Rhule have to take a swing on a quarterback here? The Panthers don't have second- or third-round picks. Rhule will enter the season on the hot seat, and this is his chance to buy some time with a high-ceiling rookie signal-caller. Willis is going to make some mistakes, but he will be fun to watch. He might nail a perfect deep ball to Robby Anderson and then throw a pick in the red zone on the next play. But he's going to keep getting better with more time, and Carolina does have some skill position talent to help him.

The Draft Network - Keith Sanchez (4/13)

6. Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh

Head coach Matt Rhule is firmly on the hot seat and I believe that he needs to show his value as either an offensive mind or a leader of men. So with this pick, I believe Rhule hitches his wagon to Kenny Pickett--a quarterback that has good upside--in order to show that he actually has a plan for the Panthers and he knows how to construct a winning team.

NFL.com - Lance Zierlein (4/12)

6. Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State

The Panthers choose to add immediate help rather than draft a developmental quarterback. Cross may be more game-ready as a left tackle than Ickey Ekwonu would be.

CBS Sports - Will Brinson (4/12)

6. Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh

Reportedly the "mutual disinterest" between the Panthers and Baker Mayfield is cooling off. If that's the case, then maybe a deal goes down and Carolina takes an OL instead. For now I'll have them sticking with Pickett at six thanks to the connections between the Pitt QB and Matt Rhule/David Tepper.

PFF - Anthony Treash (4/11)

6. Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State

Cross, Evan Neal and Ikem Ekwonu are all firmly in the OT1 conversation, but Cross gets my nod because of how well he projects as a pass protector.

The Mississippi State product improved by leaps and bounds this past season, putting up an 84.9 PFF grade after struggling to a mark of 60.7 the year before. After allowing 44 pressures in 2020, he gave up just 16 last season despite playing 145 more pass-blocking snaps.

ESPN - Jordan Reid (4/11)

6. Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh

The Panthers' quarterback of the future isn't on the roster. Of all the signal-callers in this class, Pickett and Desmond Ridder (Cincinnati) are the two most ready to step into an NFL game and produce. With coach Matt Rhule having history with Pickett, this pick makes sense.

CBS Sports - Ryan Wilson (4/11)

6. Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State

QB is the easy choice here, after the Panthers missed out on Watson, but any passer selected here would be overdrafted. There are reports that owner David Tepper is high on Kenny Pickett but he's our QB4, and the reality is that Patrick Mahomes could be Carolina's QB and he'd struggle because the offensive line is in shambles. Which brings us to who we think best helps this team. Cross plays in Mike Leach's Air Raid offense, which means he's not asked to do a lot of run blocking. And he'll tell you that's one of the things he wants to improve, even though he was very good in that area last season. Either way, Cross' athleticism shines through and that, coupled with his strength, makes him a top-10 draft-day target.

MORE TEAMS: All NFL Team Mock Draft Roundups

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