PFF Pins NFC Team as 'Best Fit' For Mississippi State OT Charles Cross

Mississippi State offensive tackle Charles Cross is by far the Bulldogs' most talked-about 2022 NFL Draft prospect -- that much is for certain. But what's less certain is just how soon he will be taken off the board and which team he will land with.

Cross has been listed all over the first round in mock drafts this offseason, with most projecting he will land inside of the top-10 and some even predicting he could be the No. 1 overall pick, though Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal and Michigan EDGE Aidan Hutchinson have recently emerged as the heavy favorites to be the first player off the board in April.

While there are multiple teams that have been deemed good fits for Cross as he prepares to take the next step in his football career, one of the popular ones for those who believe Cross may not be selected within the first five picks is the Carolina Panthers, who hold the sixth overall pick in the draft.

Conor McQuiston of Pro Football Focus recently tabbed Carolina as the best fit for Cross when predicting the best player-to-team fits for each of the 32 NFL squads with their first selection.

“On true pass sets, Taylor Moton was the Panthers’ only offensive lineman who recorded more than 100 reps and a 60.0-plus pass-blocking grade,” McQusiton wrote. “While with the Giants, new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo leaned more heavily on gap runs than league average, calling them on 49.9% of their early-down rush attempts. Since Cross comes from an air-raid system that primarily ran zone concepts on their rare rush attempts, this may be an awkward fit initially.”

While McQuiston sees some "potential awareness in the run game" for Cross in his future, he is still going to give a lackluster (to say the least) Panthers offensive line a solid and immediate upgrade.

“. . . Cross posted a 94.8% pass-block win rate on true pass sets, which ranks 41st of the 117 FBS offensive tackles that have been drafted since 2015,” McQuiston continued. “The immediate boost he would provide to the Panthers’ pass protection would overshadow his potential awkwardness in the run game.”