5 crucial observations from the Carolina Panthers landing Baker Mayfield
By Dean Jones
Matt Corral set for redshirt rookie season with the Carolina Panthers
Acquiring Baker Mayfield will obviously have a ripple effect on those already on the Carolina Panthers. In particular, it’s going to have big implications on rookie quarterback Matt Corral.
The Panthers moved up to land the Ole Miss product at No. 94 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft after a concerning slide down the pecking order. Corral’s leadership, ability to make plays out of nothing, and lightning-fast release made him an intriguing pickup, but he’ll probably have to settle for a redshirt rookie campaign unless Mayfield suffers an injury at any stage.
This might not be a bad thing, in all honesty.
Matt Rhule stated that the signal-caller has a lot of hard work ahead in pursuit of becoming a long-term starter. Learning from the sidelines and working on refining his exciting skill set in the coming months should serve him well.
One could argue that the Panthers should have given Corral a chance. But if they thought he was ready right out of the gate, then this trade doesn’t happen.
Obviously, this is a complication if the Panthers wanted to take a quarterback from next year’s draft class, which is set to be exceptional. Seeing what Corral could do in a competitive environment before making that judgment call would be beneficial, but the urgency to win now has prevented this scenario from taking place.