Carolina Panthers trade up into fourth round 2022 NFL Draft, select Brandon Smith

Following in rapid succession after their third-round pick, the Carolina Panthers selected Brandon Smith from Penn State with the No. 120 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

The Panthers originally had the No. 149 pick, which they acquired along with the No. 189 pick from the Jacksonville Jaguars, but traded up with the Washington Commanders. Carolina gave up the No. 120 and No. 149 pick to do so.

The fifth-round selection is the third of six for the Panthers. Barring trades, Carolina has three more – No. 149, No. 199 and No. 242. Due to prior trades, Carolina’s second-round pick and a fourth-round pick went to the New York Jets. They also gave up a third-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for corner C.J. Henderson last season.

The Panthers finished the 2021 season at 5-12 at the bottom of the NFC South. It’s no secret head coach Matt Rhule is on the hot seat as he enters a critical third season. The NFL is a business that expects results quickly and a good draft could go a long way for Rhule in 2022.

Panthers need to maximize draft picks

Key needs for the Panthers heading into the draft were quarterback, offensive line, tight end, linebacker and secondary.

This offseason, the Panthers added OG Austin Corbett, S Xavier Woods, WR Rashard Higgins, WR Brandon Zylstra, and P Johnny Hekker. The organization also held on to quarterback Sam Darnold with a $18.8 million fifth-year option. On the flip side, they lost top edge rusher Haason Reddick to free agency and veteran defensive lineman DaQuan Jones.

New offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo revealed that he believes Darnold will be the team’s starting quarterback in 2022, before backtracking a few moments later. McAdoo corrected himself stating, “that is something I shouldn’t have said” at this point in the calendar. In his first season with the Panthers, Darnold threw for 2,527 yards and nine touchdowns with 13 interceptions in 12 appearances.