Carolina Panthers 2022 NFL mock draft with major first-round trade

A major trade shakes up the landscape for the Carolina Panthers in this special 2022 NFL mock draft.

We are now a few weeks into the college football season and draft stocks are rising and falling across the country. Prospects still have plenty of time to alter perceptions one way or another, with the Carolina Panthers and others across the league sure to be monitoring their progress closely before the all-important evaluation process begins.

Building through the draft is something that’s obviously important for general manager Scott Fitterer. He was a leading man behind the scenes with the Seattle Seahawks during their selection process before joining the Panthers, with his previous experience coming to the fore during a frenzied period of trade activity earlier this spring.

This is something we might see from the Panthers again in 2022. They don’t have a second-round selection currently after giving it to the New York Jets as part of the Sam Darnold trade, so expect Fitterer to try and get this pick back in some fashion either before or during the draft.

It’s been a gradual rebuilding process for Carolina over the last two years. Whichever way it goes this season, Matt Rhule’s men will be expected to mount some sort of playoff challenge in Year 3 of his tenure.

Using The Draft Network’s mock simulator – which has the Panthers picking at No. 10 currently – we took a look at which way they might go in the 2022 NFL Draft with a major first-round trade to kick things off.