MMQB: Panthers Could Draft OT at 6, Trade for Baker Mayfield or Garoppolo in Round 1

The Carolina Panthers could end up being something of a pressure point for this year's NFL draft when they're on the board at No. 6. They likely would be the first team to consider selecting a quarterback, unless the Detroit Lions massively reach at No. 2, but they could also address other needs with the pick and add a veteran quarterback to the mix. 

Albert Breer of The MMQB addressed that potential decision in his latest column:

"What's hard to forecast is whether any of the top three tackles—Ikem Ekwonu, Charles Cross or Alabama's Evan Neal—will be on the board when Carolina's up. If those three are gone, maybe it'll be simplified for the Panthers and they'll take a quarterback. But if one or more of the tackles are there, it wouldn't stun me, or others in the league, if the Panthers grit their teeth and go with the offensive lineman over the quarterback—with perhaps the idea that they could go and get Jimmy Garoppolo after the first round, or even Baker Mayfield, who's been seen internally as a sort of redundant gamble to what the team did with Sam Darnold last year (and would probably require the Browns' eating a whole bunch of his $18.858 million base)."

As for the possibility of Mayfield landing in Carolina, Breer added that he guessed "the Browns would be pushing that more than the Panthers are looking for it."

There's little doubt the Panthers need to address the quarterback position at some point this offseason, however. The 24-year-old Darnold performed poorly for the team last year, throwing for just 2,527 yards, nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 12 total games (11 starts), completing 59.9 percent of his passes. 

The Panthers were 4-7 in his starts. 

In ESPN's QBR, Darnold ranked 29th. He also ranked 29th in passer rating. PFF ranked him 30th among all quarterbacks in 2021. By almost any measure, he had a disappointing showing.

Mayfield would be an upgrade, though after a poor 2021 season (he was PFF's No. 24 player at the position), it's unclear just how much of one he'd be. Ditto for Garoppolo, who was clearly better than both Darnold and Mayfield in 2021 (PFF's No. 12 quarterback) during the regular season but whose lower ceiling has hurt the San Francisco 49ers come the playoffs on more than one occasion. 

Of course, the Panthers would gladly take just getting to the postseason. But Garoppolo will likely fetch a higher return than Mayfield, and the Panthers have other areas of need. 

If Carolina does look toward the position in the draft, players like Liberty's Malik Willis, Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett and Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder are the likely options. The Panthers could also choose to wait until day two, when players like Ole Miss' Matt Corral and North Carolina's Sam Howell might be available, though they currently don't have a second- or third-round pick and would have to trade into those rounds. 

One thing is for certain: When the Panthers are on the clock at No. 6, everyone will be paying attention, especially quarterback-needy teams. What they do with that selection likely will be a pivot point of the draft.