Analyzing the 4 Bold Predictions for the Panthers Made by Conor Orr

Recently, Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated released an article laying out his 100 bold predictions for the 2022 NFL season. In those 100 predictions, four of them involved the Carolina Panthers.

Conor's prediction: An offensive lineman will deserve, but not receive, legitimate Rookie of the Year consideration

Evan Neal, Ikem Ekwonu, Charles Cross, Tyler Linderbaum, Trevor Penning. There are some rookies shouldering massive responsibilities this year. At least one will form the foundation of a deep playoff run.

My thoughts: I do believe Ekwonu will have a phenomenal rookie season and should deserve recognition for the award. However, being on a team that is likely destined for another losing season won't give him much attention. Linderbaum may get the most recognition out of the aforementioned linemen.

Conor's prediction: The Panthers’ QB situation pleasantly surprises, and …

Offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo finds his name back in the fold for head coaching opportunities. I think now, as we look at the Giants from 30,000 feet, getting them to the playoffs in 2016 was a stunning achievement. The guy who wanted to move on from Eli Manning and draft Patrick Mahomes gets a fresh look from the NFL power brokers.

My thoughts: This is a very likely possibility and in fact, he could be promoted as the Panthers' head coach if David Tepper feels like it's time to move off of Matt Rhule. Either way, if McAdoo gets Sam Darnold to look somewhat like an NFL starting quarterback, teams will be interested in giving him a second chance as a head coach.

Conor's prediction: The Panthers, Texans, Seahawks, and Bears will be the teams in contention for the No. 1 pick

For these fan bases, all is not lost. There should be a somewhat robust class of quarterbacks to debate over this year. In Seattle, Houston, and Chicago, this may be a pleasant side effect of their roster-building strategy.

My thoughts: The Panthers are kind of stuck in a similar situation that they've been in the past two years under Matt Rhule; they're bad, but not bad enough to be close to the No. 1 overall pick. In my opinion, this roster is much improved from where it was a year ago. Carolina will be picking around No. 10 if I had to guess.

Conor's prediction: Christian McCaffrey will be traded at some point in 2022

The Panthers’ star running back will be healthy and dangerous in 2022. He will also cause at least one team to lob the Panthers an offer that will end up too good to refuse.

My thoughts: I don't see this one happening. The Panthers aren't going to get the value that they would like in a McCaffrey trade and if we're being completely honest, Sam Darnold has no chance to succeed if McCaffrey is out of the building, as we saw a year ago when he went down with an injury.

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