4 best late round gems the Carolina Panthers didn’t do enough with

Josh Norman – Former Carolina Panthers CB

• 5th round (2012)

Josh Norman will always be remembered as the trash-talking enforcer of thieves avenue, but he was largely an afterthought on draft weekend. Being overshadowed by Luke Kuechly and the likes of Amini Silatolu and Joe Adams, but how wrong the evaluators were.

While it took a few years for Norman to get going, once the former walk-on hit his stride he didn’t look back. Showing some potential in 2014 before exploding onto the scene in a contract year during the Carolina Panthers’ memorable Super Bowl run in 2015.

Norman earned both All-Pro honors and his first trip to the Pro Bowl during that season and led the league in both pick-sixes and overall non-offense touchdowns. All of this while getting into the head of whoever he was lined up against and sometimes the face as well.

The perfect defensive complement to Cam Newton’s high-flying personality.

We can all look back and laugh at the legendary beef with Odell Beckham Jr. as well. The Coastal Carolina product was legitimately the best press corner in the league in 2015, good enough to earn him a spot on dancing with the stars and a name for himself.

Making the opposition’s number one target an afterthought was a place Norman thrived in that the Panthers are still trying to get right six years down the line from his departure in free agency. Without his lockdown coverage of the opposing team’s best receiver, Carolina likely wouldn’t have made it to the Super Bowl, that’s just how vital and how good he was during that year.

While his career certainly hasn’t gone the way most thought or hoped after that amazing year in 2015, Norman still shows just how important patience is with young players, as when given the time anyone can develop into a star.