Carolina Panthers Draft: Is is too soon to give up on K.J. Costello?

K.J. Costello saw his stock fall considerably with a lackluster 2020 campaign at Mississippi State, but could he be a diamond in the rough for the Carolina Panthers?

The Carolina Panthers have made no secret of their desire to bring in some additional options at quarterback this offseason. They’ve been persistent in their pursuit of a landmark trade that might just end up with the organization going all-in for Deshaun Watson. But whoever they end up with, the writing is clearly on the wall for Teddy Bridgewater after a 2020 campaign littered with inconsistencies.

Considering the top three or even four quarterbacks might be off the board by the time Carolina is on the clock at No. 8 overall, risking it all on an eye-popping trade could be their only option regarding an upgrade at the position this spring.

However, the Panthers using one of their mid-to-late round selections on a development prospect or even picking an undrafted free-agent up is another avenue the team could go down even if their signal-caller of choice is secured.

Outside of consensus No. 1 overall selection Trevor Lawrence, there doesn’t appear to be a sure thing elsewhere among the quarterback prospects.

Justin Fields, Zach Wilson, and Trey Lance have undoubted upside providing they make a smooth transition to the pros, with the likes of Mac Jones, Kyle Trask, and Kellen Mond proving to be polarizing figures during the early portion of the assessment process.

There is another player who is going relatively overlooked after his struggles in 2020.

But it might be too soon to give up on just yet.

K.J. Costello’s transition to SEC football after transferring from Stanford to Mississippi State didn’t exactly go according to plan. He struggled to gain any sort of momentum whatsoever and of all the prospects who saw their stock fall this season, the gunslinger is right at the top of the list.

Costello will be a work in progress. But could the player end up being a diamond in the rough?