Haynes King is set for his first NFL preseason snaps tonight in the Hall of Fame Game, and the Panthers will get a good early look at what the undrafted rookie can bring. The 2025 ACC Player of the Year is expected to play a significant amount against the Arizona Cardinals, with Kenny Pickett starting and Bryce Young sitting out for the night.
King arrives in Carolina after a college career built on production and versatility. He began at Texas A&M, then transferred to Georgia Tech, where he signed with the Panthers as an undrafted free agent after his best season yet.
On the ground, he put up 953 yards and 15 touchdowns, and through the air he added 2,951 yards, 14 touchdowns and only six interceptions. Those numbers helped Georgia Tech reach its best season since 2016.
At 6-foot-2 and 212 pounds, King brings a different kind of case to the Panthers’ quarterback competition. He’s trying to climb past Pickett for the backup job, but that won’t be simple. Pickett may not have lived up to his first-round billing with the Pittsburgh Steelers, yet he does have 27 career starts, and that kind of experience still carries real weight with coaches looking for a No. 2 quarterback.
That leaves King with one clear path: show off the athleticism that makes him such an intriguing option. If he can do that tonight against the Cardinals, he could force Canales to take a harder look at the rookie in the backup conversation.
For now, Carolina’s quarterback depth chart looks like this:
No. 1: Bryce Young
No. 2: Kenny Pickett
No. 3: Haynes King
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