5 silent assassins the Carolina Panthers could draft in 2022

Carolina Panthers could draft Bailey Zappe

• Quarterback | Western Kentucky

If the Carolina Panthers want to progress their chances in 2022, then it’s vital they come out of the draft or shortly after the selection process with a new quarterback. Sam Darnold just isn’t the answer after another inconsistent campaign following his trade from the New York Jets, which makes for an awkward situation with the player still owed $18.85 million fully guaranteed for his fifth-year option.

This is also not the best year to be wanting a quarterback early in the draft. The questions surrounding this group of college recruits are well documented, so trading for another veteran and perhaps picking a development project up in the mid-rounds might be the smart way to go.

Bailey Zappe has more intrigue than most after a record-breaking season with Western Kentucky in 2021. The increase in competition will be steeper than he’s ever experienced before, but it’s hard to look at his production and not think there could be a starting signal-caller in there with some additional improvements.

Zappe has sufficient arm strength for the NFL and looks the part in terms of intelligence and reading what a defense is doing pre-snap. His accuracy over short-to-intermediate options is another encouraging element of his game and the signal-caller is deceptively fast once he gets into the open field.

Providing the player’s height doesn’t become an issue and his composure under pressure improves, then the Panthers could do far worse than look in Zappe’s direction. This would also avoid reaching for a quarterback earlier in the draft.