Panthers coach Matt Rhule would not rule out picking a quarterback in the draft when he spoke with reporters via Zoom recently. The team might seem set at the position given their recent signings of Teddy Bridgewater and P.J. Walker. However, Rhule said he’s thinking about the next 12 years, not the next 12 months.
If Carolina is going to pick a new potential franchise QB to build around this year, they’ll probably have to do it in the first two rounds. Here’s a quick review of the top prospects and their situation:
While it would be very interesting to pair him with offensive coordiantor Joe Brady again, we can safely assume that LSU’s Joe Burrow will be out of their reach. The Panthers would likely have to trade up to No. 1 to get him and they have too many needs to give up that much draft capital.
Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa is more realistic, but there are a few other QB-needy teams that will pick before the Panthers, notably the Dolphins and the Chargers. Landing Tua would also probably require a big move up.
From there, it gets interesting.
General manager Marty Hurney visited Oregon to see Justin Herbert throw at this pro day just as the country was beginning to shut down due to the spread of coronavirus. However, Herbert has perhaps the most baggage of the top QB prospects this year and might turn into a bust at the next level.
Next up, there’s Utah State’s Jordan Love, who hasn’t gotten as much attention as the others from the media, but a number of teams are apparently interested in.
According to Jeremy Fowler at ESPN, Carolina is one of several teams who have done “serious research” on Love.
“Here are a handful of teams that have done serious research on Love and are worth watching: New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, Washington Redskins, Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins. Carolina picks 38th in the second round and could stash a project QB behind Teddy Bridgewater with a move up. But an NFC offensive coordinator says he “would be surprised if he got that far” in the first round.”
Love’s numbers from 2019 are a bit underwhelming (20 touchdowns, 17 interceptions) but his sophomore year showed flashes of tremendous potential. That season he threw 32 touchdowns to go with six interceptions, averaging 8.6 yards per pass and posting a 158.3 passer rating.
The trick with Love (6-foot-4, 225 pounds) is finding the right spot to target him. Picking him at No. 7 seems too early, while waiting until No. 38 could be too late. If the chatter is true and the team is looking to trade down in the first round, that could put him within their range.
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