4 second-year Panthers players with ‘stud or dud’ potential in 2022

Phil Hoskins – Carolina Panthers DT

The last pick of a team’s draft has next to no expectations, no pressure to perform, no spot locked up, and it is all up to them to prove that they belong with the team. That player was Phil Hoskins for the Carolina Panthers in 2021.

Hoskins was seen as a work in progress coming in and got little to no press, only seeing the field 28 times all year. Having former first-round pick Derrick Brown and free-agent signing DaQuan Jones is a large reason for that.

However, recording a sack in that limited amount of playing time is truly impressive. Especially when you think about who that sack came against, a quarterback by the name of Tua Tagovailoa that has proven to be very elusive.

This tenacity from the interior is something highly sought-after across the league. Hoskins showed tremendous push that deformed the line and when he saw that the quarterback had an avenue of escape, the enormous lineman showed his excellent footwork with a spin move that broke him free.

On top of that, once he was able to have a free run at Tagovailoa, Hoskins snatched his jersey and pulled him to the ground with one arm. This is nothing new for the Kentucky product, either.

I wrote about how neverending his engine seemed during the preseason and called for more playing time throughout the year. Hoskins is relentless and never gives up on a play, something that a lot of defenders cannot say.

The biggest factor as to whether or not someone can make it in the NFL isn’t talent, it’s drive. A lazy superstar is worthless compared to an average player with an insatiable hunger to be better.

Hoskins may not be a superstar yet. But don’t be surprised if we are calling his name more often than not in the coming years.

He has that much potential.