Carolina Panthers draft NC State lineman Chandler Zavala
The Carolina Panthers drafted former NC State guard Chandler Zavala with the in the fourth round of the NFL Draft Friday night. He is the first member of the Wolfpack selected this year after the program’s pair of picks in the 2022 draft.
After recovering from a back injury that cut his 2021 season short, Zavala dominated for NC State playing left guard last fall and received All-ACC first-team honors . He is the second Wolfpack offensive lineman drafted in the past two years, joining Carolina Panthers offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu— Zavala’s former teammate on the left side of the pack’s line.
Prior to last year, the Panthers had never drafted an athlete from NC State.
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The lineman did not receive an invite to the NFL Scouting Combine, but he dominated at the Wolfpack’s pro day. Based on reporting from Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline, Zavala ran a 5.01 40-yard-dash and a 4.53 shuttle. Those numbers would have ranked No. 5 and No. 3 at the combine, respectively. He also recorded 30 reps on the bench press, TheWolfpacker.com confirmed, which is better than all but four others.
Prior to the draft, an anonymous NFL scouting source shared their take on the former Pack star with On3’s Matt Zenitz.
“He didn’t even get a combine invite, which blows my mind. I just think he’s got make-it traits. He’s got starter traits. He’s a good guard. He’s scheme versatile. Can play in a gap scheme or a zone scheme. He understands leverage. He’s got those qualities of the guys that make it that are gritty, tough and it’s not always pretty but he finds a way to win consistently. I don’t know why he didn’t get more play leading up to the draft.”
Zavala began his collegiate career at Fairmont State, starting there for two years at left guard before the program canceled its 2020 season due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He then transferred to NC State and immediately slotted into the starting lineup. Following his season-ending injury in 2021, Zavala went through a lengthy eligibility battle with the NCAA that finally ended with a sixth year of eligibility for the graduate student.
After the 2022 season, the lineman was one of 8 athletes, joining teammate Grant Gibson, to make the All-ACC first team and the all-conference academic team.
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