The Panthers’ brass is downplaying the idea that they’re keen on taking a particular quarterback in this year’s draft class. The team hasn’t picked one since Cam Newton in 2011 but they’re widely expected to select a new backup for Newton at some point after the first round.
Some recent reports suggest the Panthers are very high on West Virginia QB prospect Will Grier, a Charlotte native. Some mocks even have them trading up in the second round to make sure they get him. For his part, coach Ron Rivera is playing it cool and claims they haven’t invested more time at the position than in the past.
Here’s what Rivera said about the search during his pre-draft press conference, per the team website.
“I don’t think we’ve spent any more time on quarterbacks than we have in the past. . . Obviously Cam has a particular skill set. Would you like to find somebody with that? Absolutely. But we also look at a guy like Kyle Allen. . . and you sit there and say, ‘We like that skill set as well.’”
Grier might be their golden boy, but if they’re looking to replicate Newton’s skill-set, their best option will be Buffalo’s Tyree Jackson.
By no means is Jackson the next Cam Newton, but it may be a long time before a better physical comparison comes along.
Like Newton, Jackson is a massive specimen for a quarterback. In fact, he’s even bigger. At the combine, he measured in at 6-foot-7, 249 pounds with 34.25 inch arms and 10.25 inch hands – all better than what Newton recorded in 2011. Jackson also has Cam’s arm talent plus some of his famous mobility. In college he carried the ball 201 times for a total of 757 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns.
The knocks on Jackson’s game will also sound familiar to Carolina fans. His touchdown-to-interception ratio (49/24) could be better and he only completed 55.8 percent of his passes at Buffalo.
Jackson is projected to be a third or fourth-round pick by Lance Zierlein at NFL.com. Grier is projected as a fourth-rounder.
