Tennessee football: Cade Mays stays in up-tempo offense as Panthers draft pick

There are lots of questions about Cade Mays’ game and how it will translate to the NFL. Versatility is his selling point. Physical attributes, health and production are bigger questions. However, playing in Josh Heupel’s system last year with Tennessee football should prepare him for where he was talent.

The Carolina Panthers took Mays in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft with the 199th overall pick. Obviously, that pick has a solid legacy since it’s where Tom Brady. Mays, son of UT offensive lineman Kevin Mays and brother of current UT center Cooper Mays, isn’t going to fill those shoes.

However, after playing in Heupel’s air raid, he should be ready for Matt Rhule’s system in Carolina. If he had left after playing in Jim Chaney’s system for Tennessee football in 2020 and for the Georgia Bulldogs, where he first was in 2018 and 2019, things may have been different for him.

Mays’ NFL combine performance wasn’t enough to boost his stock. He also battled injuries both years he was at UT. However, at 6’5″ 311 pounds, not only is Mays prepared for a system like Rhule’s. He also has the versatility to make it.

Over four years of college, Mays played all five positions on the line. With Tennessee football alone, he played right guard in Chaney’s pro-style offense and then had to move over to right tackle because of depth issues in Heupel’s up-tempo offense.

While working out for pro teams, Mays then got looks at center, and he had experience playing on the left side of the line during his two years with UGA. Simply put, he’s played all over the field up front in multiple systems, and he’s prepared for what Rhule runs.

When you consider the fact that Carolina took Matt Corral in the first round, they are clearly willing to grow with their young offensive talent as well. That means they’ll look even harder at Mays and show patience with him, especially if they do line him up at center.

Even if Mays doesn’t work out as a starting offensive lineman, that versatility should be enough to make him a solid utility lineman who provides depth where needed. Injuries are bound to happen up front, and that’s likely what his role will be.

Outside of staying healthy, the only real question is if his versatility isn’t more about tweener status in the NFL. Could he be too slow to play tackle and too raw to play on the interior? That’s a legitimate question that he wasn’t able to sufficiently answer in college.

Once again, though, this is where the system comes into play. Rhule’s schemes allow you to be a bit raw playing on the inside, where Mays will be, so then it comes down to how familiar he is with it. That goes back to what he did last year with Tennessee football. As a result, this is a pretty good situation for him.