The Carolina Panthers wrapped up a two-day, three practice rookie minicamp on Saturday afternoon. Here’s a few takeaways from the team and the media who were there.
1. Greg Little has the right attitude
It’s always difficult to tell which prospects will work out at the NFL level and which ones will be busts. For what it’s worth, offensive tackle Greg Little has the right attitude. He told reporters he’s not looking for any handouts and just wants to earn his spot.
Little also says that Cam Newton has not given him a nickname yet.
It may take some time for Little to grow into the role, but he’s expected to start at left tackle long term for the Panthers.
2. Terry Godwin shines
You can only learn so much from non-contact practices in May. However, for what it’s worth, seventh-round pick Terry Godwin impressed some observers with his hands.
Even though the rain was coming down hard in the first practice session on Friday, he didn’t drop anything despite not wearing gloves.
Godwin did his best work at Georgia from the slot. The team may see him as a replacement for the veteran Jarius Wright at that spot eventually.
3. Kyle Allen thinks Will Grier was a steal
While certain people in the media seem to be trying hard to create a quarterback controversy narrative, the quarterbacks themselves all seem to be getting along just great.
Kyle Allen says he’s been friends with third-round pick Will Grier for years and thinks he should have been taken higher than No. 100 overall.
Allen and Grier will be competing for the No. 2 spot behind Cam Newton on the depth chart along with Taylor Heinicke.
As one might expect, their first outing of the spring was a mixed bag.
4. A different approach
One notable change this year is the team’s teaching philosophy for rookie minicamp. Usually the roster of players who get invited is significantly larger, but there were only a total of 33 this year. Head coach Ron Rivera told the team website it allowed them to be more hands-on.
“It’s a smaller group, so we get to spend a lot more time with specific guys. We got to spend a lot of time with a lot of basic stuff; guys got a lot of reps at it whereas when you have two or three guys, you’re constantly rolling in guys and you never really get a good chance to focus.”
The Panthers also took a more classroom kind of approach this year than a practice-oriented one.
5. Burns and Miller get their feet wet (literally)
Two guys who benefited from the hands-on instruction were the team’s newest EDGE defenders. Florida State’s Brian Burns and Alabama’s Christian Miller got a lot of one-on-one work with Eric Washington.
Here’s a few videos of the two going through pass-rush drills.
6. The bubble is coming but not ready yet
But why are the Panthers still practicing in the rain when we have been promised a bubble over the practice field all offseason? Patience is a virtue and the bubble is coming eventually. It’s just not ready yet.
Here’s what Rivera said about the bubble, per Jourdan Rodrigue at the Charlotte Observer.
“I’m looking forward to having it. . . I appreciate the efforts that (first-year owner David) Tepper is making to get us a bubble in place and get us ready to go.”
Here’s a look at the work in progress:
Tepper has said that the bubble should be completed by the time the preseason starts.
7. The 3-4 looks have arrived
At long last, we got our first look at some three-man defensive line fronts at rookie minicamp.
Don’t expect a full-time move to a 3-4 scheme, though. Coach Rivera has maintained all along that the team will be using a hybrid system, so expect to see both during the season depending on the situation.
