The biggest storyline for the Carolina Panthers this season will be whether or not former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young will be the team's franchise quarterback of the future, but for now, it's rookie Haynes King stealing the headlines.
An undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech, King made the most of his chance to shine in Thursday night's preseason opener, completing 21 of his 34 pass attempts for 180 yards, tossing a pair of touchdowns with no interceptions. He added another 39 yards on three rushing attempts, as well as another score.
King was a dual-threat weapon for the Yellow Jackets, but was more known for his running ability than his penchant for making consistent throws from the pocket. On both of his touchdown passes Thursday night, King's athleticism was on display as he made both throws out on the run after play-action fakes:
But if King wants to succeed at the NFL level, he'll have to make difficult throws from the pocket in clutch situations. Good thing he showed that ability Thursday night, too:
King saved his best for last, engineering a game-winning touchdown drive in the final moments, finishing it with a walk-off touchdown run as time expired:
Yes, King faced very few Arizona starters Thursday night, and the defensive schemes Arizona was running weren't exactly the most complex and exotic looks Young is going to face when the regular season gets underway. But it's still a positive development to see this kind of performance from an undrafted rookie quarterback in his first game action against a live opponent.
Young will be the unquestioned starter in Carolina until otherwise noted, and the Panthers have a veteran in Kenny Pickett who seems like the more likely choice to back him up in the regular season. But there's nothing Pickett does that gives the Carolina offense more upside than the dual-threat skill set King brings to the table, and if the rookie continues to deliver this level of play throughout the rest of the preseason, the Panthers could opt for the unproven rookie with more versatility and potential over the veteran who might have a higher floor, but also a much lower ceiling.
