Carolina Panthers: Breaking down their wide receiver corps

By Luis Tirado Jr. | May 7, 2015

The Carolina Panthers are definitely brewing something special as they prepare to go the distance come next season and beyond. One area that held them back last season was their production on their wide receiver corps. Outside of Kelvin Benjamin and Greg Olsen, the Panthers don’t have a complete group that is capable of putting up some solid numbers to push this team even further into the postseason. This time around though, the Panthers have bolstered this positional group thanks to the 2015 NFL Draft.

In the 2nd Round of this year’s draft, the Panthers drafted wide receiver Devin Funchess in hopes of bolstering their offense and really opening things up for quarterback Cam Newton. At 6’4 and 232 pounds, Funchess will bring speed, size and a knack for making big plays once the football is in his hands.

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At Michigan, Funchess contributed 1,715 yards on 126 receptions for 15 touchdowns. Whether he plays in the slot or outside positions on the Panthers, he will still be a mismatch for even the best defensive backs the NFL has to offer. It will be quite scary seeing him teamed up with Benjamin and watching the damage they will both cause together.

Speaking of Benjamin, one couldn’t ask for more of an impact that what he did in his rookie season last year. He contributed 1,008 yards on 73 receptions for nine touchdowns and proved to be a reliable receiving target for Newton. One can only imagine what he will contribute in his sophomore season.

Looking at the rest of the Panthers’ depth chart, they definitely stocked up this offseason to give Newton plenty of weapons in his arsenal. They brought in Jarrett Boykin and Ted Ginn via free agency in hopes of finding some diamonds in the rough that are able to still be key contributors on offense.

The Panthers still have guys like Jerricho Cotchery, Philly Brown, Stephen Hill and Brenton Bersin that will be viable depth depending on their offensive scheming come game time. Regardless of who the Panthers decide to go with as their final corps at wide receiver, they are much-improved than they were last season.

The true question will be how Funchess will transition into the NFL since usually rookies at wide receiver either don’t miss a beat or end up struggling due to how fast the game gets at the next level. Considering that Funchess has a good football IQ, there is no reason to believe that he won’t at least put up a season similar to what Benjamin did in his rookie year.

Nov 29, 2014; Columbus, OH, USA; Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Devin Funchess (1) against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State won the game 42-28. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Breaking down their projected depth chart at wide receiver come next season, it could look something like Benjamin, Funchess, Hill and Ginn.

Hill should be a rejuvenated option since he never really took off with the New York Jets and has much to prove on his new team. He should be quite the surprise come training camps since he has an opportunity to live up to his potential.

With the Jets, Hill contributed just 594 yards on 45 receptions for only four touchdowns. Don’t let his poor stats fool you as when he was with the Jets, they had so many issues at quarterback it’s not even funny.

With Newton throwing to him now and his past success at having strong training camps, Hill could emerge as a quality option at wide receiver.

Overall, the Panthers will put up some nice numbers come next season thanks to the new dynamic duo of Benjamin and Funchess. Expect to see big things especially with how Newton continues to evolve as one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL.

Next: Carolina Panthers: Grading 2015 NFL Draft selections

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