This afternoon, Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer fielded numerous questions about what he and the rest of the front office were looking to do with the 2022 NFL draft’s sixth overall pick. And, of course, the team is apparently considering a handful of avenues—with an offensive lineman, a quarterback and even a trade-down among them.
So if you were still left wondering what’ll ultimately happen with Carolina, you’re not the only one.
According to NFL insider Josina Anderson, the Panthers’ intentions with the selection has garnered some buzz within league circles as we inch closer to Thursday. There’s been so much speculation, apparently, that it’s bumped the sport’s hottest topic—the trade demands of San Francisco 49ers star wideout Deebo Samuel—to the side.
Chatter so far this morning was more so pertaining to Carolina's draft pick at 6, and what execs around the league think the #Panthers prefer to do with it… https://t.co/1T408PaQAT
— IG: JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) April 26, 2022
Fitterer, obviously, kept his plans close to the proverbial vest during his pre-draft presser. He did, though, say he’d be comfortable moving down to teens if an appealing swap presented itself.
“I think the comfort level would be really in the teens,” he said. “However, this is a large group. This is a unique group that between the 25 and 50 range, there are a lot of good players—more like foundation-type players. You wanna be disciplined in not trading out of those levels. But I think the teens, if I had to put a number on it, that would probably be the most comfortable spot.”
That sixth spot is a possible game-changer for the entire board. It would be particularly volatile, in fact, if Carolina jumps on a quarterback—which could turn the draft on its head and start a sudden run on passers.
But whatever they decide to do, everyone else seems to be watching.
