Carolina Panthers land future QB in full 7-round 2022 NFL mock draft

Malik Willis – QB (Liberty)

This is arguably the best-case scenario for the Carolina Panthers. They acquire additional draft picks and land themselves a potential franchise quarterback for good measure.

Team owner David Tepper seems intent on making a big splash in the trade market for a long-term successor to Cam Newton. These ambitious plans haven’t exactly gone according to plan as yet, so getting a promising college signal-caller through the draft is probably the smart way to go.

Tepper may not like it. But they passed on a quarterback at No. 8 overall in 2021 and if the Carolina Panthers do the same again, it could come back to haunt them.

Malik Willis would be a hugely popular pick and could end up being the first prospect at the position taken much higher than this. Much will depend on how the Liberty star performs against strong opposition such as Ole Miss later in the season – but his stock is rising with every passing week.

Willis has a rare ability to get fans out of their seats. He is mobile, has a sensational arm, and seems to be able to make plays out of nothing – something the Panthers cannot guarantee from Darnold.

If the Panthers went in this direction, it would allow Willis to sit behind Darnold before replacing the veteran somewhere down the line.

Carolina picked up his fifth-year option, but Darnold cannot be trusted and someone with the skill set of Willis would undoubtedly cause a significant amount of excitement within the team’s fanbase.