4 Carolina Panthers rookies who need to shine most at minicamp
By Dean Jones
Which rookie players recently acquired by the Carolina Panthers need to shine most during their first taste of an NFL minicamp in the coming days?
Just a couple of weeks after the Carolina Panthers finishing picking up promising young players from the college level, they will get their first chance to shine during rookie minicamp. The official opening team activities will take place from May 14-17, which will be swiftly followed by OTAs and training camp ahead of what is sure to be a crucial campaign for the franchise.
It will be immensely interesting to see just what the Panthers have in their latest batch of recruits. General manager Scott Fitterer was heavily active in the trade market during the draft to accumulate 11 selections for Carolina, with a further five players secured in undrafted free agency once the selection period came to a conclusion.
Some will be expected to make bigger contributions than others during their rookie seasons. However, this is the time when lesser touted members of the roster stake a claim for a more substantial role than expected.
With this in mind let’s take a look at four Panthers rookies who need to shine more than most during minicamp.
Player No. 1
Paddy Fisher – Carolina Panthers LB
It came as something of a surprise to see Paddy Fisher go undrafted. The Northwestern linebacker was a tackling machine during his time in college and he seems to have all the physical attributes Carolina sought heavily in their recruitment and draft processes this offseason.
There does appear to be an opportunity for Fisher to make the 53-man roster if he shows enough. The Panthers aren’t blessed with great depth in their linebacking corps, so providing the rookie demonstrates enough capabilities in a professional environment, he could be a surprise inclusion when it’s time for final decisions to be made.
Fisher’s first step on this path will be at rookie minicamp, where the competition is sure to be fierce. Carolina obviously saw something in the prospect to snap him up quickly, but what comes next will be ultimately down to the player.