Carolina Panthers 2022 NFL mock draft after Championship Saturday
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers pick No. 162
Bailey Zappe – QB (Western Kentucky)
Taking a quarterback at the top end would be a big risk by the Carolina Panthers in 2022. Not only because there are some serious questions to answer regarding this year’s class, but one has to wonder just how they’d get on anyway behind a suspect offensive line that concedes pressure at will.
Next year’s crop – which consists of Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud among others – has much more going for them. So the Panthers might decide to keep Cam Newton for another year or – even worse – give Sam Darnold another opportunity after triggering his fifth-year option with a guaranteed $18.85 million.
However, selecting one with upside in the mid-rounds might be a possible option. Bailey Zappe has taken the college football world by storm in 2021 with some jaw-dropping numbers and individual highlights, but the question of competition standard at Western Kentucky is going to be scrutinized before teams make their final judgments.
Zappe isn’t your prototypical height for an NFL quarterback. But that narrative has dwindled over time thanks to the success of players like Russell Wilson, Drew Brees, and Kyler Murray.
He is mobile and possesses a live arm that’s capable of making all the necessary throws. Zappe has completed an astonishing 443 of 640 passes (69.2 percent) this season for 5,545 yards, 56 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and a passer efficiency rating of 167.4.
Someone will fall in love with him during the evaluation process. Whether that team is Carolina remains to be seen.