4 ways the Carolina Panthers could go at No. 6 in the 2022 NFL Draft

Carolina Panthers could gamble on a QB

Sam Darnold’s trade from the New York Jets went south pretty quickly after an encouraging start. The quarterback was unable to meet expectations and could not improve simple flaws within his game, making him an unreliable option for the Carolina Panthers moving forward.

Darnold remains on the books thanks in no small part to his fully guaranteed $18.85 million in 2022. That hasn’t stopped the Panthers from going after big fish in the trade market, but Deshaun Watson and Russell Wilson both spurned their advances in favor of moves elsewhere.

There are still a couple of enticing options that could be available via trade. But there is also a strong chance that the Panthers go with a college quarterback to potentially give them a long-term option.

One problem with this is that no prospect entering the league this year comes with Day 1 starting potential, according to the large majority of analysts. This is something that’s backed up by the film, so reaching for a promising signal-caller at No. 6 could make or break the Matt Rhule era when it’s all said and done.

Taking a quarterback this high is not as attractive as it was over the past two drafts. Something Rhule decided not to do in favor of relying on veterans who’d shown little to suggest they could become valuable contributors.

Now, the Panthers have a problem on their hands that could – and should – have been avoided.