Panthers Rumors: CAR 'Excited' by Evan Neal, Ikem Ekwonu in 2022 NFL Draft

Having a roster with several holes and holding just one pick in the first three rounds of the 2022 NFL draft, the Carolina Panthers are a potential wild card with the No. 6 pick on Thursday night. 

Per NFL.com, the Panthers are "excited" about offensive tackles Evan Neal from Alabama and Ikem Ekwonu from North Carolina State if either or both is available when they make their first pick.   

Per NFL Network's Bridget Condon, the Panthers "need to leave" the draft this weekend with an improved offense and potentially solidifying the left tackle spot would be a good way to do it. 

Most mock projections have been all over the place for the Panthers because they have so many significant needs and no real way of addressing them all in this draft. 

As things currently stand, Carolina's second pick doesn't come until the fourth round (No. 137 overall) after the trades for Sam Darnold last offseason and C.J. Henderson during the 2021 season. 

General manager Scott Fitterer told reporters on Tuesday he informed Darnold there is a possibility the team could add a quarterback during the draft. 

The Panthers have been mentioned as a popular trade option for Baker Mayfield or Jimmy Garoppolo, though neither seems likely to be moved until after the draft. 

If Carolina doesn't feel comfortable drafting one of the top quarterbacks at No. 6 and is unable to move down, Ekwonu or Neal would certainly fill a void for the team if either is still on the board.

B/R's NFL Scouting Department has Neal ranked as the No. 2 overall prospect and Ekwonu as the No. 3 overall prospect in the 2022 draft class. Mississippi State's Charles Cross is the third-ranked offensive tackle at No. 13 overall. 

The Panthers have had a new starting left tackle at the start of every season since Jordan Gross retired after the 2013 campaign. They didn't sign any offensive tackles during free agency, though they did bring in Austin Corbett to play guard.