Let’s get this out of the way – the Panthers used the 100th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft to select Cam Newton’s backup.
After finding two starters in the first two rounds in edge rusher Brian Burns and left tackle Greg Little, the Panthers used their third pick of the draft to find an insurance policy in the event that Cam Newton, who had his second shoulder procedure in two years in January, faces the same issues that plagued him through the second half of the season as the Panthers lost seven straight before eventually shutting Newton down for the final two games of the year.
And that insurance policy happens to be a heck of a talented quarterback as the Panthers selected West Virginia quarterback Will Grier with the 100th pick, their final selection of the draft’s Day 2.
Grier, who had over 300 yards passing in 19 of his 22 games at West Virginia, finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting in 2018 and ranked third in the nation and first in the Big 12 in passing yards per game, has everything you’d need in a quarterback – and it was a combination of his physical skills and his personality that drew Marty Hurney and Ron Rivera to bring Grier to Carolina.
“I think he’s got an it factor,” said Hurney about the 6-1, 221 pound quarterback – the first one the Panthers have drafted since taking Newton #1 overall in 2011. “You see, being around his teammates and you can see it at the Pro Day, you can just see it on tape. He’s a very talented quarterback that we had a chance to get with the 100th pick in the draft, so we decided to make the choice.”
“[He has} tremendous accuracy,” said Rivera. “Good, quick decision making. Delivers a very catchable ball, puts it where it needs to be put – that’s probably one of the biggest things when listening to both Scott and Norv [Turner] talk about their studies of Will. So I’m excited to have a guy come and join us and compete to a part of what we’re doing here.”
But to be clear – and Hurney reiterated it twice, literally pounding the table as he spoke the words – this is Cam Newton’s team.
“Nothing to do with Cam,” said Hurney. “I said he’s our franchise quarterback, this is about depth and bringing in young guys and developing young guys. This has nothing to do with Cam Newton. Cam Newton is our starting quarterback and our franchise quarterback; this is just about bringing in young guys to develop – and depth.”
While the front office didn’t inform Newton of the pick, Hurney indicated that the 30-year old quarterback was aware that drafting a backup was a possibility. Rivera said that he felt as if the team addressed three feature positions in the first two days of the draft – edge rusher in Brian Burns, left tackle in Greg Little and now backup quarterback in Will Grier.
“We were very fortunate to have Derek Anderson for as long as we did,” said Rivera. “We’d love to have another guy to come in and be that guy for us. We’ve got two young guys that we like, that played well for us when they got their opportunities and we’re just adding a third to create some competition.”
Grier will compete with Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen, both of whom started a game last season after Newton was shut down, for the backup slot – both Allen and Heinicke are on one-year contracts for 2019. Drafting a quarterback in the third round isn’t exactly a shot across the bow and a challenge to Newton’s supremacy – 26 QBs have been drafted in the third round in the past 20 years. Three of them are named Russell Wilson, Josh McCown and Matt Schaub.
The other 23 have started 259 games between them.
Meanwhile, while Marty Hurney was apologizing to the media for drafting a quarterback so late in the night – it was almost midnight when Hurney smiled and said “we had to!” – in a relative’s house walking distance from Bank of America Stadium, a 23-year old kid from Davidson, North Carolina celebrated with his family as he would get to wear the jersey of the team he grew up rooting for, a team who once rostered Steve Smith, who Grier said that “of any sport, I think he’s the greatest player and most fun to watch.”
Grier expressed multiple times throughout the conference call with the media after being drafted how excited he was being able to play football in his hometown – but he understands that he has a role, a job and that the Panthers drafted him for a reason.
“It’s my job to be ready to play whenever my name’s called,” said an admittedly shellshocked Grier. “I think with the situation as it is right now, I’m going to give Cam as much support as I can, try to do anything I can to make him a better player and play my role on the team, whatever that may be. Part of my job is to stay ready, whether it’s now or a couple of years down the road.”
“What I can say is that I take advantage of opportunities. I think the Panthers just got the best quarterback in this draft and I think long term, we’re going to win a lot of football games and I’d love to bring a Super Bowl to Charlotte.”
