Shaq Thompson, Devin Funchess, Daryl Williams could start for Carolina Panthers – ESPN (blog)
NFL Nation reporter David Newton assesses which rookies on the Panthers could earn a starting berth this season.
Why Shaq Thompson could start: Not only could the outside linebacker from the University of Washington start, he is expected to. The Panthers selected Thompson in the first round with the plan to play him on the weak side with middle linebacker Luke Kuechly and strongside linebacker Thomas Davis. With the speed and athletic ability of all three, the staff believes Thompson will help turn a top-10 defense into a top-five unit. Thompson, considered a safety by many NFL teams, has the speed to drop into coverage the way defensive end Greg Hardy did in 2013. If one of the ends trying to replace Hardy as an every-down player doesn’t step into that role, Thompson can. With Thompson, the Panthers can play more three-linebacker sets in passing situations instead of going with Kuechly and Davis with an extra defensive back, as often was the case last season. That’ll keep offenses off balance more. That’ll give defensive coordinator Sean McDermott more freedom to blitz one of the linebackers to create pressure, which he often couldn’t do with two linebackers on the field. Thompson is playing catch-up after missing most of organized team activities to finish his semester at Washington, but he’s too athletic to keep off the field.
Why Devin Funchess could start: The Panthers want to create mismatches to help quarterback Cam Newton. The 6-foot-4 rookie wide receiver out of Michigan does that with his height against smaller defensive backs, and with his speed. Many thought Carolina erred by not drafting a pure speed receiver to play opposite 2014 first-round pick Kelvin Benjamin (6-5). But Funchess is deceptively fast for a big receiver (he ran a 4.47 40-yard dash at his pro day.) He also can play all three receiver positions. He looks just as comfortable in the slot as he does spread wide, which gives offensive coordinator Mike Shula more flexibility. That makes Funchess even more of a mismatch since slot defensive backs typically are much shorter. With Funchess and Benjamin, along with 6-5 Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen, the Panthers can spread the field. That will prevent opponents from putting eight players in the box to stop the run, as they often did last season. That also will give Newton more options to run or pass. It also should make it easier on a suspect offensive line to block since it won’t have to account for an extra player.
Why Daryl Williams could start: The Panthers liked what the rookie out of Oklahoma offers at right tackle so much that they sent three draft picks to Oakland to move up 22 spots in the fourth round to get him. Williams is huge at 6-foot-5 and 327 pounds. He’s a powerful run-blocker, which the Panthers want on the right side to help establish their power running game. He has a nasty streak that the Panthers like. Mike Remmers will enter training camp as the starting right tackle, mainly because the team went 5-1 (including playoffs) when he became the starter at the end of last season. But Remmers is an undrafted rookie who has been with six teams (including Carolina). As well as he played, the Panthers look at Williams more as a long-term solution. The Panthers liked Williams more than Oklahoma left tackle Tyrus Thompson, who wasn’t selected until the sixth round. General manager Dave Gettleman has a pretty good eye when it comes to offensive linemen, and he likes what he sees in Williams.
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