4 Panthers players who were unsung heroes at the Saints in Week 7

Sam Franklin – Carolina Panthers S

Sam Franklin would have been forgiven for coming into his first NFL start with plenty of nerves. The rookie was tasked with filling the void left by Juston Burris and although they were some rocky moments, he can be immensely proud of the way he handled himself.

The former Temple standout was on the field for every defensive snap, which is a further indication of how much faith the Carolina Panthers have in Franklin. This was a tremendous learning curve for him to encounter at this stage of the player’s development, but what comes next will be equally as important.

Carolina has some elite passing attacks upcoming on the schedule, so if Burris doesn’t make it back quicker than expected it will leave the coaching staff with no other alternative other than to use a sink or swim mentality regarding Franklin.

There is nothing to suggest the first-year-pro is not more than capable. Franklin is still a little rough around the edges and throwing him in at the deep end is far from ideal. However, it might be the making of him at the same time.

Tre Boston’s struggles were there for all to see in New Orleans. This made Franklin’s task on the blackened that much more difficult and he coped well under pressure despite his distinct lack of experience at the pro level.