The Carolina Panthers' revamped receiving corps has been one of the most-discussed units in the NFL this offseason, with praise emanating from nearly every corner of the franchise.
Pairing mammoth receivers Kelvin Benjamin and rookie Devin Funchess gives the Panthers a distinct one-two punch few in the NFL can match on the outside.
"We're going to be a dynamic duo, two 6-5 guys out there on the outside just making damage and causing havoc on the field," Funchess told the Detroit News last week. "You never see that type of duo in the league, two 6-5 guys on the outside that are athletic and that can run and go up and get the ball. Nobody has that wingspan in the league like us, so it's going to be fun during the season."
While they don't possess much speed, the Benjamin-Funchess combo should aid quarterback Cam Newton, who has a tendency to spray high on passes.
Fresh off stating his goal of winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, Funchess added that his career at Michigan never displayed his full potency at the receiver position.
"We never got to see the full Devin Funchess at Michigan because I did play one season at wide receiver, and I was battling through an injury," he said Friday at a Play 60 event at Cleveland Browns headquarters for the NFL Rookie Symposium. "I think up here in the NFL I can make some damage."
Funchess spent his first two seasons at Michigan playing tight end.
Adding the big-bodied rookie to a corps of Benjamin, tight end Greg Olsen, possession receiver Jerricho Cotchery, speedy Corey Brown and wild-cards Ted Ginn and Stephen Hill, gives the Panthers one of the most intriguing pass-catching units in the NFL.
If healthy, that is certainly a crew that can cause mismatches and havoc for secondaries.
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