The Carolina Panthers may have themselves an interesting project in their quarterback room.
Head coach Dave Canales spoke with reporters early Saturday afternoon, following the end of the team’s second and final session of rookie minicamp. He was asked for his early impressions of quarterback Haynes King, one of Carolina’s 10 undrafted free-agent signees.
“First of all, off the film, the thing I was most excited about is you just watch his offense move the chains,” Canales replied. “Third and fourth down, two-minute drill, the ball goes down the field, they score points. And there’s a bunch of different ways you can affect the game as a quarterback—with your mind, with your arm and with your legs. And he’s got a way that he’s able to find wins that way.”
King, through his arm and legs, found a way to win the ACC Player of the Year and the ACC Offensive Player of the Year honors at Georgia Tech this past season. Over 12 games, he passed for 2,951 yards and 14 touchdowns while rushing for a conference-leading 15 scores.
Canales then got into what he saw from King over the past few days.
“It was great to see him in person—just work around, coming off play actions, the bootlegs and then just certainly seeing the athleticism that he has in his body show off in his arm,” he continued. “A lot of zip, a lot of pop there. He did a great job in the classroom also.”
King got a chance to speak with media as well, and was asked if he can envision himself in the mold of a Taysom Hill given his dual-threat abilities. He said he would do whatever the team needs and that he doesn’t see that kind of role as a knock on his game.
“At the end of the day, everybody kinda wants to play,” King stated. “And, also, Taysom Hill—he’s a pretty good athlete and a pretty good ball player as well. I feel like, in my confidence, that I can play quarterback at this level. So that’s my first goal—is to make it as a quarterback and do as best as I can.”
Carolina is awfully familiar with Hill, who’ve they’ve seen in the NFC South for the past decade. The versatile 6-foot-2, 221-pounder lined up as a quarterback, running back and tight end for the New Orleans Saints over his nine-year career.
The Panthers are currently rostering two other quarterbacks behind starter Bryce Young—2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett and 2019 third-round pick Will Grier. So if he hopes to factor in for 2026, King may have to provide that little something extra to the team.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers rookie minicamp: QB Haynes King talks Taysom Hill comparisons