4 pros and cons to the Carolina Panthers drafting Malik Willis in 2022
By Dean Jones
What are the pros and cons to the Carolina Panthers potentially selecting Liberty quarterback Malik Willis in the 2022 NFL Draft?
It’s going to take a pretty special turnaround from Sam Darnold to convince people he is the man to lead the Carolina Panthers back into postseason contention. The team traded three draft selections to acquire the signal-caller from the New York Jets and after a promising start, things tailed off dramatically with the same complications surfacing in terms of processing, footwork, and overall decision-making under pressure.
This obviously leaves the Panthers back to square one when it comes to finding their quarterback of the future. Although Darnold might end up getting one more shot after Carolina activated his fifth-year option that comes with a guaranteed $18.85 million.
One area that will obviously be explored is finding yet another solution in the trade market. However, the Panthers aren’t blessed with significant capital and there is a high chance the likes of Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson would waive their no-trade clause even if an offer was accepted.
Selecting a promising young player from the draft is another option. Something the Panthers should arguably have done in 2021 from a much stronger class with Justin Fields and Mac Jones still on the board at No. 8 overall.
If this is an avenue they go down, then Malik Willis is a player to watch. The Liberty star has some enticing skills that could translate well to the next level, even if the standard of competition couldn’t be classed as stellar once he transferred from Auburn.
With this in mind, here are four pros and cons to Carolina bringing Willis on board.