NFL Draft Day 2: Panthers trade up for QB Matt Corral; Sam Howell's wait extends to Day 3
Posted April 29, 2022 7:56 p.m. EDT
Updated April 29, 2022 11:34 p.m. EDT
The wait continues one more day for UNC's Sam Howell, who remains on the board after the first three rounds of the NFL Draft came to an end on Friday night.
What else happened on Night 2 of the NFL Draft?
-The Panthers traded up to get their quarterback, or at least a quarterback they like: and it's not Sam Howell. Instead, it's Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral in a mild surprise as the Panthers had been linked more to both Howell and Liberty quarterback Malik Willis.
Corral passed for 20 touchdowns to just five interceptions last season, throwing for 3,349 yards.
-The Panthers have traded up to get back into the third round at pick No. 94. They traded with the New England Patriots:
-Former NC State tight end Dylan Parham, who elected to turn into an offensive lineman before transferring to Memphis, was picked at No. 90 by the Oakland Raiders.
-A third quarterback is off the board now as Malik Willis' long wait ends with the Liberty quarterback getting selected at No. 86 by the Tennessee Titans.
-Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean's long wait ends as he goes 83rd overall to the Philadelphia Eagles.
-Another quarterback has finally been selected after a 54-pick gap, but it's not the quarterback most predicted. Instead of Malik Willis, projected in the first round, or even Howell, it was Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder, a late riser. Ridder was picked 74th by the Atlanta Falcons, filling a big need for the Panthers' NFC South rival.
-At pick 72, the quarterback-needy Seattle Seahawks took offensive lineman Abraham Lucas from Washington State. So the quarterbacks have now been waiting for 52 picks.
-Howell likely did not think he would hear one of his offensive lineman's names called before his, but that is what happened as the New York Giants drafted offensive lineman Josh Ezeudu with the third pick of the third round (67th overall).
-At pick 59, there are still no quarterbacks taken and no quarterback-needy teams remaining in the second round. That means Howell or Malik Willis or any other quarterback is unlikely to be drafted until at least pick 61.
-At pick 54, the Kansas City Chiefs drafted Western Michigan speedster Skyy Moore. The 13 wide receivers through 54 picks are a record through two rounds.
-The New England Patriots traded up to 50 as some big names continue to fall, including Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean. But the Patriots instead took Baylor wide receiver Tyquan Thornton at that spot.
-At pick 46, Kentucky linebacker Josh Paschal was drafted by the Lions. Which meant that with receiver Wan'Dale Robinson going a few picks earlier, the NFL has now had more Kentucky football players selected (2) than quarterbacks (1).
-Wake Forest running back Kenneth Walker III went to the Seahawks at 41 in the second of the Seahawks' two consecutive second-round picks. The Seahawks might have just traded Russell Wilson, but even they decided not to take a quarterback, meaning more than 20 picks have passed since Kenny Pickett was the first and still only quarterback taken at 20.
-The Atlanta Falcons traded up and it looked like they might take a quarterback, but instead they took Arnold Ebiketie, an edge rusher.
-Iowa State's Breese Hall became the first running back selected in this year's NFL Draft, going at No. 36 overall. Hall will join former UNC tailback Michael Carter in the backfield in New York.
-The Green Bay Packers traded up to get Aaron Rodgers some wide receiver help, getting Christian Watson from North Dakota State at 34.
-The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made their first pick of the draft so far and the first pick of Day 2, nabbing defensive lineman Logan Hall from Houston.
