Owner David Tepper: Panthers 'have a very good quarterback in Sam Darnold'

Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer didn't offer much of a public vote of confidence for starting signal-caller Sam Darnold when he openly admitted last month that "we do need a quarterback." Fitterer told reporters on Tuesday he "would feel comfortable" selecting a quarterback with pick No. 6 of this year's draft on Thursday night. 

In Fitterer's defense, Darnold did little to cement his status as the club's QB1 during the 2021 season. Per ESPN stats, the 24-year-old finished the campaign 29th among eligible quarterbacks with a 71.9 passer rating and 33.2 total QBR, and those numbers look even worse upon remembering Carolina gave the New York Jets a 2021 sixth-round pick along with second- and fourth-round selections in this year's draft to land Darnold. 

Nevertheless, Panthers owner David Tepper praised his current starter while speaking with media members on Wednesday. 

"I do think we have a very good quarterback in Sam Darnold," Tepper explained, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. 

Tepper also defended the move for Darnold that was completed last April. 

"At the time that we made the trade, Sam’s compensation was moderate, and what the coaching staff and what the scouting staff thought at the time was he was a very talented young man," Tepper remarked. "He still does have incredible skills." 

The multiple CBS Sports analysts still predicting in mock drafts that Carolina will draft Kenny Pickett of the Pittsburgh Panthers on Thursday evening clearly aren't buying whatever Tepper was selling via his latest comments.