Carolina Panthers: Rising star, breakout player, rebound player, and more

Which player will be the Carolina Panthers’ top breakout player in 2018? Who is a rising star on the team? Who needs to bounce back this season?

As preseason games near, handing out preseason superlatives is the next local step. With the Carolina Panthers roster loaded with talent, some of these names may prove to be vital in the coming year.

Breakout Player: Christian McCaffrey, RB

This is the year McCaffrey puts everything together. After an impressive rookie season that saw him become a receiving weapon in particular, now if he can focus on running the ball a bit more, he could really have a fantastic season.

It is certainly not a stretch to say that McCaffrey is an explosive football player and talented running back. However, he is not the . McCaffrey ranked No. 10 among all rookies in rushing yards, totaling 435 on the season. It is worth noting that he had some tough competition at his position with Kareem Hunt, Alvin Kamara and Leonard Fournette representing the best of the backs.

Coming in with such a strong class, he will need to be able to hold his own in both the passing and rushing aspects of the game. If he can put those two things together, he will be an unstoppable force. The biggest knock on him is his size. Aside from that, there have been numerous question marks about the offensive line. Even still, Norv Turner could get the most out of McCaffrey and there has been some talk he could get 25-30 touches a game.

If those theory prove to be true, CMC will be in for a very big year.