Coach: Matt Rhule
Offensive Coordinator: Ben McAdoo
Defensive Coordinator: Phil Snow
Offensive scheme: In his time with the Giants, McAdoo ran a West Coast offense style offense. The West Coast offense is advantageous for offenses that have running backs who are eager/able to contribute to the passing game, something the Panthers likely wanted to emphasize as their best player, Christian McCaffrey, is a great runner and receiver. McAdoo’s offense is also relatively straight-forward, which may also reduce complexity and give Sam Darnold (or whomever they choose as QB1) a more streamlined playbook.
Defensive scheme: The Panthers defense is a complex system that shows a lot of different looks and can’t specifically be tied down to any one philosophy. The Panthers play a lot of a college-style 3-3-5 but also show a lot of four-man and even two and five-man fronts. The team also plays with six defensive backs more than any team in the league. DC Phil Snow likes to run exotic packages where confusion reigns – defensive players should all be willing to contribute to the pass rush and also be able to drop into coverage. Positional versatility is big for this defense.
The Panthers, as of April 20th, own six total picks in the 2022 draft, including the sixth overall pick, but no picks between that pick and nearly the end of the fourth round. With Matt Rhule firmly in the hot seat, the Panthers have to get their first round pick right and, ideally, it should be someone that can contribute right away – or they should trade down (if they find a willing partner) and look for volume. As it stands right now, with all their eggs in one basket, and a roster that could use some work, it might be panic time in Carolina.
Panthers Draft Picks:
| Round | Overall Pick | Value (JJ) | Value (RH) | Notes |
| 1 | 6 | 1600 | 446 | |
| 4 | 137 | 37.5 | 18 | From Rams via Houston (Draft pick trade in 2021) |
| 5 | 144 | 34 | 15 | From Jacksonville (Dan Arnold trade) |
| 5 | 149 | 30.2 | 13 | |
| 6 | 199 | 10.2 | 5 | From Las Vegas (Denzel Perryman trade) |
| 7 | 242 | 1 | 2 | From New England via Miami (Greg Little trade) |
Total Draft Points:
Jimmy Johnson model: 1712.9
Rich Hill model: 499
About Draft point models
The first model for assigning a point value to draft picks was designed by Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Johnson during his time with the Dallas Cowboys. The valuations are designed to be used as a benchmark when determining the value of draft picks being traded between teams. The values are not hard coded and teams may have different valuations based on need or organizational philosophy. The Rich Hill model was derived, at least in part, due to a differing philosophy of pick value by Patriots coach Bill Belichick. As you may see in the chart above, the revised model puts an added emphasis on early picks and smooths out the value later on in the draft.
What will the Panthers do at the draft?
The Panthers are in a tough spot in this draft with little in the way of top-end value in picks, aside from the number six pick, and their trades (for Sam Darnold and CJ Henderson) have yet to bear any fruit. Do the Panthers roll the dice on the top QB in their draft board (Kenny Pickett? Malik Willis?) or seek to trade down to get more value over the course of the draft? Carolina appears to be rudderless at the moment, and there will almost certainly be some drastic changes if this year unfolds as 2021 did.
Roster Analysis
The Panthers acted like a team with few draft picks this offseason, with much in the way of turnover in their roster. Gone are big names like CB Stephon Gilmore (just signed by Indianapolis) and EDGE Haason Reddick (to Philly) but the Panthers were active in signing free agents: DT Matt Ioannidis from Washington, C Bradley Bozeman from Baltimore, S Xavier Woods from Minnesota and, of course, big name acquisition P Johnny Hekker from the Rams. Carolina is going to need to be content to search the bargain bin of the later rounds and free agency to build depth. There is a bright spot: their skill position depth charts are strong, including DJ Moore, Robby Anderson, and Christian McCaffrey at the very top.
Depth Charts
Quarterback
Starter: Sam Darnold
Reserves: PJ Walker
Expected Draft Action: Starter. It’s been long-rumoured that the next Panthers QB will be taken with the sixth pick in the draft, whether it is Kenny Pickett (originally signed a letter of intent with Temple when Rhule was their head coach) or Malik Willis. If they don’t go with a QB at six, they’ll likely use one of the three picks between 137 and 149 to take a backup. This class of quarterbacks is somewhat barren, a bad spot to be in if you’re desperate for a starter immediately.
Potential fits: Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh; Malik Willis, Liberty; Bailey Zappe, Western Kentucky; Carson Strong, Nevada
Running Back
Starter: Christian McCaffrey
Reserves: Chuba Hubbard, D’Onta Foreman, Spencer Brown, Darius Bardwell
Expected Draft Action: None. The Panthers were 4-3 last season when Christian McCaffrey played, and 1-9 when he did not. As one of the best running backs in the league at both running and receiving, it’s no surprise that the Panthers’ fortunes are tied very closely to the health of their All-Pro RB. The issue is that McCaffrey has played just 10 games in the past two seasons, leaving a significant hole in the roster that cannot be filled. In a perfect world, they would use one of their mid-round picks to take a high-upside back as protection, but this isn’t a perfect world. Hubbard and Foreman can be effective as reserve backs, to help take a little of the load off McCaffrey.
Wide Receiver
Starters: X WR DJ Moore, Z Robby Anderson, Slot Terrace Marshall
Reserves: X Rashard Higgins, Aaron Parker Z: CJ Saunders; Slot Brandon Zylstra, Shi Smith
Expected Draft Action: Depth at Z. The Panthers have two very good WRs in Moore and Anderson, a young Terrace Marshall who could become a top slot receiver, and a strong reserve WR in Rashard Higgins, who comes over from Cleveland. After that, the depth tapers off, but they don’t need to be too reliant on them, good health permitting. Look for the Panthers to consider some more depth in the draft, as there should still be projectionable starting-calibre talent in the fourth and fifth rounds.
Potential fit: David Bell, Purdue; Makai Polk, Mississippi State; Alec Pierce, Cincinnati; Erik Ezukanma, Texas A&M
Tight End
Starter: Tommy Tremble
Reserves: Ian Thomas, Colin Thompson, Stephen Sullivan
Expected Draft Action: None. Tremble is the better blocker, while Thomas is more of a factor in the passing game, though each is making strides in the disciplines they need improvement in. The Panthers are unlikely to draft a tight end in this draft, given they just signed Thomas to an extension and Tremble was drafted in the third round last year and both have done adequate, if not exceptional, for the Panthers.
Offensive Line
Starters: LT Cam Erving, LG Pat Elflein, C Bradley Bozeman, RG Austin Corbett, RT Taylor Moton
Reserves: T Brady Christensen, Aaron Monteiro, Austen Pleasants; G Michael Jordan (no, not him), Deonte Brown, Dennis Daley, Mike Horton; C Sam Tecklenburg
Expected Draft Action: Starter at LT. This is more aspirational than expected, but one of the blue-chip left tackle prospects would be a perfect choice for Carolina’s overhauled offensive line. This offseason has been a good one in terms of OL talent, as the Panthers were able to sign Bozeman from Baltimore and Corbett from the Rams. The right side of the line looks solid, but the left side looks leaky. Evan Neal or Charles Cross would be high-value selections for the Panthers team, and Erving could move into the swing-tackle role which suits him better.
Potential Fits: LT Evan Neal, Alabama; LT Charles Cross, Ole Miss; LT Abraham Lucas, Washington St; LG Justin Shaffer, Georgia; G Marcus McKethan, UNC; T/G Rasheed Walker, Michigan State; G/RT Spencer Burford, UTSA; RT/G Vederian Lowe, Illinois
Defensive Line
Starters: EDGE Brian Burns, DE Yetur Gross-Matos, 3T Matt Ioannidis, NT Derrick Brown
Reserves: EDGE Marquis Haynes, Azur Kamara, Austin Larkin; DE Darryl Johnson, Jacob Tuioti-Mariner, Joe Jackson; 3T Daviyon Nixon, Phil Hoskins; NT Bravvion Roy, Frank Herron
Expected Draft Action: Depth at EDGE. The Panthers are pretty strong up front, which added some steel with former Washington DT Matt Ioannidis. Haynes, Nixon, and Roy are capable backups though the Panthers may wish to add a situational pass rusher to the unit with the departure of Haason Reddick.
Potential Fits: EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon; Drake Jackson, USC; Christopher Allen, Alabama; Tyreke Smith, Ohio State; Tyree Johnson, Texas A&M
Linebackers
Starters: WLB Shaq Thompson, MLB Damien Wilson, SLB Cory Littleton
Reserves: WLB Kamal Martin, MLB Julian Stanford, SLB Frankie Luvu
Expected Draft Action: Depth. The Panthers overhauled their linebacking corps, with Thompson, Luvu, and special teamer Kamal Martin the only remaining LBs from last season. Littleton joins from Las Vegas and Wilson joins from Jacksonville. There is a need for reserves as Stanford and Martin are almost exclusively special teamers
Potential fit: Aaron Hansford, Texas A&M (MLB/WLB); JoJo Domann, Nebraska (WLB, SS); Zakoby McClain, Auburn (WLB, MLB); Terrel Bernard, Baylor (WLB, FS)
Cornerbacks
Starters: Jaycee Horn, Donte Jackson, CJ Henderson
Reserves: Rashaan Melvin, Keith Taylor, Troy Pride, Chris Westry, Stantley Thomas-Oliver, Madre Harper
Expected Draft Action: None. Donte Jackson leads a strong CB unit which will have Jaycee Horn back in the lineup after suffering a season-ending foot injury in Week 3 last season. In Horn, the Panthers have a potential shutdown corner and paired with Jackson, the Panthers could have one of the league’s best CB pairings in the league. Henderson struggled in Jacksonville, but following his midseason trade to Carolina, there was optimism that he would turn into another strong corner with the Panthers. The Panthers have enough depth at the position to not need to worry about drafting any additional players.
Safeties
Starters: FS Xavier Woods, SS Jeremy Chinn
Reserves: Juston Burris, Myles Hartsfield, Kenny Robinson, Sean Chandler, Sam Franklin
Expected Draft Action: None. The Panthers made their big addition in free agency, signing Xavier Woods from the Vikings. Chinn is one of the league’s top young safeties and is versatile enough to play some linebacker. Burris, Hartsfield, and Robinson will see some action in sub-packages as nickel and/or dime safeties.