Fitterer: 'You Can't Stop Swinging' on Quarterbacks
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This may not be the best year to be a team that is in dire need of a quarterback given the overall strength of the position in this year's draft class. Unfortunately, the Panthers are one of a handful of teams that are desperate for a solution at the position after swinging and missing on Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Darnold in consecutive seasons.
Even after two big whiffs, the Panthers aren't afraid to take another hack at the plate, but this time in the draft.
"That's why we did what we did in free agency, so we can have those options," Panthers GM Scott Fitterer said. "You absolutely want to hit on that pick. It's hard to pass on a cornerstone left tackle, whether it's a pass rusher, but quarterbacks are hard to find. Sometimes you have to swing and take a shot at these guys and if you miss, you can't stop swinging. You have to take a shot again. It's the most important position on the field. There's a lot of ways we can go, quarterback is definitely one of them and we do like these guys."
Last week, the Panthers were extremely busy traveling up and down the east coast attending the Pro Days of Malik Willis (Liberty), Kenny Pickett (Pitt), and Matt Corral (Ole Miss). They will also be present for today's Pro Day at North Carolina to see Sam Howell up close. The front office, coaching staff, and regional scouts have all done their homework on each quarterback in the class but the performances at Pro Days hold a lot of weight, at least for the Panthers.
"When you watch guys on tape, you get a feel for how they play, how they move in the pocket," said Fitterer. "The important thing about Pro Days is number one, you can judge their arm and the velocity on the ball. Then, number two, how do they interact with their teammates? Who is bringing energy to the room? Who is bringing leadership? I thought we saw that out of all three guys we saw this week. People ask why didn't we go to [Desmond] Ridder's Pro Day - we've spent a lot of time with him at the Senior Bowl, at the Combine. We know he's got the leadership to him."
Although the Panthers are impressed with Ridder, I get the feeling they know he is not worth the 6th pick and by not having a second or third round pick he will be off the board by the time they are on the clock again. There is the possibility of trading out of No. 6 and picking up at day two pick, but the sense around the league is that Ridder will go in the first round. If the Panthers do take a quarterback it will likely be between Willis and Pickett with Corral being a long shot.
As much as the Panthers would like to find their quarterback for the next ten years or so, they may have to take the best player available instead of forcing something with a quarterback. Selecting one of these signal-callers means that the team is okay with taking on a project that may take a year or two. When asked if he believes if any of these prospects are day one starters, Fitterer responded, "I think all of these guys are capable of being starters. I think once you get them, you develop a plan of how you want to deal with them. Right now, we're starting to process what we would do. Ideally, every quarterback, whoever it is, would sit a little while and learn.
"Our whole goal is to win the NFC South every year. We want to compete every year. I think we're two steps closer this year, not just one step. With all the guys we brought in, I think we're right there if we can get the quarterback position stabilized, we're going to be competing for it. Ideally, if you have a young guy that you can drop in there, that's the most cost efficient way to do it. Surround him with veteran talent."
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