PANTHERS: Nature vs. nurture and Sam Darnold
If you ask evaluators what matters most in the development of the quarterback, the conversation routinely leads to a debate over talent versus environment. But it's not necessarily an either/or scenario. Franchise quarterbacks need to possess blue-chip talent -- and they also must be surrounded by premier playmakers, protection and an A-plus play-caller to thrive.
In the case of Sam Darnold, we've seen enough from the 23-year-old to know the talent is there. But when it comes to the three Ps, the young signal-caller has rarely been exposed to even one facet, let alone the trifecta. That shouldn't be the case in Carolina, however, as the franchise seems to understand how important these factors are to the development of young quarterbacks. The Panthers' commitment to providing all three could help Darnold finally realize his potential as a pro.
"We're just trying to build the whole team, and I just believe in Sam, I believe that he deserves the opportunity to go out and play with us," head coach Matt Rhule recently said on the Rich Eisen Show. "Now, we just have to make sure Sam's a great player for us."
The vote of confidence is a bit of a surprise for a quarterback with a 13-25 career record and the worst passer rating in the league since 2018 (78.6). But the belief in the former No. 3 overall pick stems in part from his untapped potential. It's not thatlong ago that NFL scouts and personnel executives were painting Darnold as an elite quarterback prospect. The USC standout was lauded for his gunslinger mentality, clutch playmaking ability and winning pedigree.
Despite an up-and-down three-year stint with the New York Jets, Darnold flashed enough talent to prompt Rhule and the Panthers to not only dump their starter(Teddy Bridgewater), but bypass potential QB1s early on Day 1 of the draft.
"We were sitting there one day on defense, and I can't remember (exactly) what we were watching, we were watching a cut-up, and Sam was playing on the other side of the ball, and a couple times he made some throws, and Phil Snow, our defensive coordinator, was like, 'Man, that kid looks like Matt Stafford.' And so, we put a couple games on -- and this is the defensive staff -- and they were all like, 'You know what, every game we watch, he makes a couple of big-time plays, and there has to be some meat on the bone there,' " Rhule said. "So, kind of went through the process and kept watching him and going back and watching him in college and watching his pro day and then going back and watching his first year in a different offense and the second year and his third year. When the compensation was enough where we didn't have to give up what we thought was too much that [it] would hurt our team and a chance to get him here, we'd watched so much tape on him that we saw enough shining moments."
As a young scout, I was taught by my mentors to grade the flashes, because if a player can do it once, he can do it again in the right situation. The Panthers are banking on an upgraded supporting cast -- a pair of 1,000-yard receivers (Robby Anderson and D.J. Moore) and a member of the exclusive 1,000/1,000 Club (Christian McCaffrey) -- creating easier big-play opportunities for the quarterback. In addition, the Panthers used the draft to add a several more weapons (WR Terrace Marshall, WR Shi Smith, RB Chuba Hubbard and TE Tommy Tremble) and upgrade the offensive line (OT Brady Christensen and OG Deonte Brown).
With offensive coordinator Joe Brady poised to dial up productive play calls, the Panthers believe the fourth-year pro will flourish in his new environment.
"After getting him here, talking to Robby Anderson, who played with him (the receiver was with the Jets in 2018 and '19 before joining the Panthers in 2020), talking to other guys who played with him, there's not many guys who've been his teammates who say anything bad about him," Rhule said. "Like, they all have believed in him and believe that he can be good. Hearing some of his former coaches talk about him, they believe that he can be good and so I've always been kind of a nurture vs. nature guy, I think people have to be in the right situations and, you know, hopefully a change of scenery is what he needs."
Considering how the Panthers have gone all-in on the Sam Darnold experiment, we will find out quickly if the former first-rounder can realize his potential in a new environment.