Carolina Panthers select Cade Mays in sixth round of 2022 NFL Draft

After four solid picks for the Carolina Panthers, the organization selected Cade Mays from Tennessee with their sixth-round pick at No. 199 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.

The Panthers previously traded for another sixth-rounder, acquiring the pick from the Washington Commanders to draft Amare Barno from Virginia Tech.

The sixth-round selection is the fifth of six for the Panthers. Barring trades, Carolina has one more at No. 242 in the seventh round. 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.