4 Relative Athletic Score studs the Carolina Panthers could draft in 2023

Carolina Panthers could draft Chandler Zavala

• Offensive Line | North Carolina State Wolfpack

The fashionable trend right now seems to be pairing your stud player with their collegiate teammate and recreating this magic at the professional level. So naturally, we immediately think of pairing Carolina Panthers left tackle Ikem Ekwonu with Chandler Zavala.

Throwing down a 9.50 RAS score, which may be slightly under the rest of the prospects in this article, Zavala passes the eye test, athletic tests, and film test. Much of the depreciation of his RAS score can be attributed to the player's height, coming in right under 6-foot-4.

Outside of his “short” height, Zavala checks every other box you’d want out of an anchor interior offensive lineman. His official NFL Scouting Combine weight of 322 pounds, packaged with his nearly 33-inch arms and 30 bench press reps of 225 pounds, provide every bit of evidence that you don’t want him getting his mitts on you.

The broad North Carolina State Wolfpack alum can move, too, routinely identifying his block and finishing it through to the second level. When it comes to pass protection, he’s the wall that the Kool-Aid Man cannot run through. A literal anchor looks at Zavala with envious eyes.

Another position group that Scott Fitterer called out by name in the presser as one that could use “beefing up”, Zavala would bring prime-grade potential to this offensive line unit. The prospect looks as if he could still be on the board in the third, possibly even the fourth round.