4 reasons securing Matt Corral was the steal of the 2022 draft

Carolina Panthers did not mortgage their future for Matt Corral

Without giving up more than a third rounder next year and a fourth in 2021, the Carolina Panthers traded up to draft Matt Corral. It is safe to say that Scott Fitterer is magic at working trade deals.

Carolina still entered Day 3 with four selections at their disposal, and they used these to draft Brandon Smith, Amare Barno, Cade Mays, and Kalon Barnes. An overall good haul after getting a franchise tackle and potentially a long-term quarterback.

The Panthers go into next year’s draft without their third-round pick. But at the end of the day, if Corral works out as the franchise guy, then everyone will forget about the potential player Carolina could have had.

And even if Corral does not turn out to be the quarterback Carolina was hoping for, they still have their first-round selection to draft one of the quarterback prospects in next year’s draft, which is expected to be a much deeper group, based on consensus projections.

With how talented Corral is, the players he has around him and competing in a system that fits his style, I would bet on him turning into the franchise leader the Panthers believe him to be.