Realistic career expectations for every Panthers 2022 draft pick

Matt Corral – Carolina Panthers QB

It took a while, but there was finally a run on quarterbacks after only one was taken in the first two rounds of the draft.

After Kenny Pickett went to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round, Desmond Ridder and Malik Willis were the next two taken in the third. After those were off the board, the Carolina Panthers traded up from the fourth round to select Matt Corral.

Once seen as a potential No. 1 overall selection, Corral slid greatly in the draft due to concerns about his maturity and consistency.

Corral has great arm strength, a strong football IQ, and had big-game success while at Ole Miss. It was a little surprising that he even slid this far and the draft and was the fourth signal-caller taken, but the Panthers will take it since they desperately needed to draft one.

With Sam Darnold guaranteed $18.85 million this year, so he will certainly get one more shot to try and prove why he should be the starter again. However, Corral will have every opportunity to win the starting job during camp.

The intangibles are there for Corral but he has to prove that he can compete and play well on a consistent basis. Carolina didn’t try and take him or another quarterback too early, meaning if he doesn’t work out, at least it wouldn’t be a waste of a first-round pick.

Realistic career expectation: Career backup.