There is a growing trend of college prospects coming to the NFL much later. The extra year of COVID eligibility and the growing influence of NIL left teams facing the possibility of drafting players in their mid-20s. And this trend could become the new normal.
But Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales sees the positives this could bring, especially for one undrafted rookie.
Generally, the Panthers have focused their primary draft investments on younger prospects with higher upside. Monroe Freeling, Tetairoa McMillan, and Nic Scourton were early picks who were in their early 20s before entering the NFL. But they've also taken chances on older prospects who could have something to offer.
Haynes King's experience is helping smooth transition of Carolina Panthers' rookies
One of those is undrafted quarterback Haynes King. There is intrigue around what he could possibly bring in a Taysom Hill-type role. Even so, Canales is also seeing how his experience is helping not only his own ability to pick up the scheme, but it also allows him to lend advice to other rookies aiming to carve out their own paths.
"There certainly is, for the guys that we're seeing, 24 and 25 year olds coming out, and there's a maturity to them. There's a professionalism about how they handle their life inside the building and outside of the building, just kind of having their world in order.
"Haynes [King] gives that feel, like he's a pro mentally speaking, and now the challenge is how quickly can we get him caught up in all of our schemes and concepts. All the different things at the line of scrimmage, and right now he's pouring himself into it, doing a great job."
Obviously, talent trumps all. But this added knowledge of different schemes over a more extended period than a typical rookie is only going to serve King well moving forward.
Nobody is expecting miracles from the Georgia Tech product. The Panthers were interested before the draft, and they gave him a decent guarantee on his undrafted contract to ensure they got him on board. At the same time, he's fighting for QB3 more than QB2. And he's got no chance of unseating Bryce Young.
King is taking things one day and one practice at a time. The Panthers are installing their scheme right now, and the rookies have a short window to fully acclimate. Pressure will ramp up as the summer goes on, so any advantage the signal-caller can get right now would be a bonus.
This makes things easier on the coaches, too. Canales is appreciative, and his willingness to help others won't go unnoticed. But performing well will matter much more in the end.
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