CHARLOTTE —
(WLOS) In June, minicamp is the closest we get to seeing NFL football before summer break ahead of training camp in late July.
One thing is becoming increasingly evident, the Carolina Panthers wide receiver group is loaded with talent.
Twelve-year NFL veteran Adam Thielen knows what talent looks like. The two-time pro bowler, impressed with his position group. A group the holds two first round picks by Carolina over the past two years.
“For the first time here since I’ve been here, you look around the room like, I don’t know who’s going to make the team. And that’s a great thing, competition breeds elevation of play.”
A Pro Bowler just a year ago, corner back Jaycee Horn, mimicking Thielen.
“A speed guy like Jimmy, Renfrow is shifty, and then you have T-Mac who is tall and big and tough to cover, just different body sizes and they’re all good with different strengths. And as a corner you like that, because you get to see everything and you’re prepared when the game comes.”
Not all teams kicked off minicamp today. The Panthers are one of 24 teams that have started theirs today.
“I’m really excited about – this week kind of feels like final exams, it’s our last week of our spring,” said head coach Dave Canales. Coach was enjoying the spiriting play, and words throughout practice today. Wanting his players to take pride in each play, creating something to play for beyond the mandatory nature of these three days of participation. Horn, in the same spirits.
“If you got a guy dominating you all practice talking trash to you, you aren’t going to have a choice other than to go hard and back at him or go in a hole. And a lot of guys out here aren’t going to do that, they’re going to talk back and raise their level.”
This early from August and September, kick off time, doing the smallest things may feel monotonous, but create that rhythm now, it’s habit later.
“Every time a running back, a receiver, whoever has the ball, we have to attack it. You have to have 60 or 70 attempts to get one punch out, is kind of the stat that we’ve figured out over the course of time. That’s a lot of attempts,” said Canales.
One of the additions to the wide receiver room this off-season has been an area favorite, Hunter Renfrow. Renfrow joins that Panthers after taking a year away from football, previously with the Raiders. In practice, his presence can’t be overlooked.
“Outside of Thielen, nobody has more catches in the NFL other than Hunter. To see him show up in different ways, attack a zone, attack leverage, different ways on his releases. It’s so cool because you can coach off of that stuff. To see him be comfortable out there, he makes plays every day,” said Canales.
“I wouldn’t say we have a bunch of guys who do things similar. He runs great choice routes, he finds space really well, great body control, things that aren’t necessarily my strong suit,” said Thielen.
Horn, a former rival of South Carolina, with a different take.
“Who Renfrow? Nah, he be in the slot, he be in the slot, but yeah, we don’t like that orange school, at all.”
Wednesday and Thursday will conclude Panthers minicamp.