3 winners and 3 losers from the Carolina Panthers 2022 NFL Draft
By Jason Huber
Who are the three biggest winners and losers from what proved to be an eventful 2022 NFL Draft for the Carolina Panthers?
Just like that, the 2022 NFL Draft is officially in the books and the Carolina Panthers might’ve come away as a better team.
Carolina entered the draft with six total picks, including the No. 6 overall selection. But had no second or third-round picks after trading this capital for quarterback Sam Darnold and cornerback C.J. Henderson last year.
General manager Scott Fitterer managed to trade back into the third-round on Day 2 and select Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral. By doing that, the Panthers gave up a third-rounder next year but still came away with six total draft selections after another two trade-ups.
In total, Carolina’s draft selections were
- Ikem Ekwonu – OT (No. 6)
- Matt Corral – QB (No. 94)
- Brandon Smith – LB (No. 120)
- Amare’ Barno – DE/OLB (No. 189)
- Cade Mays – OL (No. 199)
- Kalon Barnes – CB (No. 242)
The Panthers are in desperate need of a winning season. If that doesn’t happen this year, there will likely be some major changes.
Fitterer and head coach Matt Rhule are hoping this draft is just the next step in building a contender and if not, fans won’t be happy. While the Ikem Ekwonu pick looks great on paper, it’ll be intriguing to see how the rest of the class plays out.
With that said, here are three winners and three losers from the Panthers’ 2022 NFL Draft.