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Rookie Watch 2014 - A Promising Start

Jeremy Igo

By Jeremy Igo,
in Carolina Panthers

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Jeremy Igo Newbie

Jeremy Igo

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The first week of the Carolina Panthers training camp has come and gone. The Panthers rookies have had their first taste of professional football. The adjustment has been easier for some than others.

 

Kelvin Benjamin - WR - FSU

 

Panthers-Training-Camp-8-1-27.jpg

 

The Panthers first round draft pick has been better than advertised. Before a small setback when his knee was bruised while making contact with the ground, Benjamin was most impressive. The 6'5 240 rookie has shown his ability to make difficult grabs. His size has made his transition to the pros much easier, his ability to out muscle defensive backs a luxury many receivers will never have. I look for him to continue to improve as he adjusts to the speed of the game.

Bottom Line: Benjamin could be a day 1 starter.

 

Kony Ealy - DE - Missouri

 

Panthers-Training-Camp-8-1-30.jpg

 

Ealy has found the transition to the pros to be a challenging one. Early in camp Ealy struggled in both the defensive end and defensive tackle positions. His lower body strength does not appear to be up to the task of taking on the more powerful NFL caliber offensive lineman. However, Ealy has shown in team drills he does have the speed to compensate occasionally. The good news is given Ealy's physical frame, his strength is no where near where it will be in a few years. A professional training regimen will do wonders for Ealy, who could still be a solid player in this league for years to come.

 

Bottom Line: Project player with big potential. Occasional pass rush player this season.

 

Trai Turner - G - LSU

 

Panthers-Training-Camp-8-1-19.jpg

At 320 pounds, Turner is a mammoth of a man that demands the full attention of his defensive counterparts. Turner has been heralded by coaches and players as a quick study. He pulls extremely well and gets to the outside as fast as any guard on the team. Will be an asset in running screens. Has improved in his pass protection as camp has gone on. Turner is beaten occasionally by Dwan Edwards and Star Lotulelei but stays positive and seems to learn from the experience.

Bottom Line: Probable day 1 starter at right guard.

 

Tre Boston - S - North Carolina

tre-boston.jpg

 

Boston has been sidelined while recovering from sports hernia surgery. Once he was healthy enough to participate in practice he was sidelined again with a groin pull. Hopes are high for Boston who has only really been seen conditioning on the sidelines.

 

Bottom Line: Your guess is as good as mine.

Bene Benwikere - CB - San Jose St

Panthers-Training-Camp-8-1-44.jpg

 

Early in camp some were hard on Benwikere for mental mistakes. All I saw was an amazing nose for the ball and the ability to quickly close on receivers. I've praised Bene since day one. As of today he appears to be beating out safety turned cornerback Charles Godfrey for the starting nickelback position. Plenty of people questioned GM David Gettleman for trading up in the draft to acquire Bene, but now Gettleman is looking again like a genius. Things have come pretty easily for Benwikere, and he may hit a wall here and there. However, all indications currently point in a positive direction.

 

Bottom Line: Plenty of action in nickel and dime packages this season.

Tyler Gaffney - RB - Stanford.

 

Currently a New England Patriot after being placed on waivers by David Gettleman. Gaffney injured himself on the first day of camp and was out for the season.

Bottom Line: Best of luck, Tyler.

 

_______________________________________________

 

Notable Undrafted Rookies

 

There have been quite a few undrafted rookies this season that have shown some good things in camp. David Gettleman has a proven track record of finding gems who were not drafted (Melvin White) and this season looks to only further his reputation as a talent evaluator.

 

David Foucault - T - Montreal

 

Panthers-Training-Camp-8-1-35.jpg

I was a huge sceptic when David Gettleman signed Foucault after rookie camp. A tthe time, Foucault looked out of place and clumsy. Since then, Foucault has improved a great deal. While no where near being a starting caliber offensive tackle, his quick progress has coaches wondering what his ceiling in. He has one huge thing going for him, his 6'8 305lb frame. As Gettleman says, you cannot teach size. #hogmolly

 

Marcus Lucas - WR - Missouri

 

marcus-lucas.jpg

 

Lucas has shown flashes during training camp, making nice grabs and a name for himself in the process. At 6'4 220lbs Lucas has the size to make an impact on the field. We all know Gettleman loves big players. Lucas could make the roster, but is more than likely headed to the practice squad.

 

Andrew Norwell - G - Ohio State

 

Panthers-Training-Camp-8-1-17.jpg

 

No one is talking about Norwell, but this 6'6 310lb rookie has shown good strength so far in training camp. Rarely is he overpowered by the defensive line. He is a big guy with a mean streak. I like that in offensive linemen. Could make the practice squad.

 

Carrington Byndom - CB - Texas

 

Panthers-training-camp-7-31-15.jpg

 

Byndom has caught on quickly to the pro game and has seen some time with the second string. He could be a future nickel on the team if Benwikere moves over to the starting cornerback position in future seasons. I can see Byndom also making the practice squad.

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Jakob Newbie

Jakob

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I'm feeling so much better about this season than I was two weeks ago. I'm not going to base much on TC but it looks like we have a nice roster. I extremely worried about the WR and CB positions, now they look like very interesting groups.

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DaveThePanther2008 Grand Master

DaveThePanther2008

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all in all, very encouraging so far.  Frankly, if one of our top 3 picks needs a season of watching and

learning while playing just a little, we are in great shape at DE for Kony to do so

 

 Yeah no doubt,  Most of the time the Huddle would be blowing up that our 2nd round draft choice (Carolina 2nd Round Curse) was not up to speed but we have nice depth at DE so we can use Kony strengths in spots while he gains the physical strength to go along with his natural talent. 

 

My concerns about Lucas, Norwell and Byndom end up like King and McNutt for us.   Someone takes notice of these guys and swipes them off the PS.   We can only keep 53 so we have to take our chances.

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