CHARLOTTE, N.C. – If you’re still trying to understand what new Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo meant Tuesday when he declared Sam Darnold his starting quarterback before backtracking — “That wasn’t something I should have said” — maybe his 2018 interview with the New York Post will help.
McAdoo, who was in between jobs after being fired by the New York Giants at the time, rated the quarterback draft class for the newspaper. He had Wyoming’s Josh Allen No. 1, Louisville’s Lamar Jackson No. 2, Southern California’s Darnold No. 3, UCLA’s Josh Rosen No. 4, Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph No. 5 and Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield No. 6.
As we fast-forward to the 2022 class and where the Panthers are in their search for a franchise quarterback, his assessment was pretty spot on for a coach who prides himself on evaluating quarterbacks. Allen and Jackson clearly have been the most successful, and the others that McAdoo had issues — some major — have struggled.
So consider this when McAdoo says Darnold is his starter. And consider this among reports the Panthers are interested in trading for Mayfield after the draft as league sources have confirmed remains an option, depending on who Carolina takes at No. 6.