Panthers receiver Tetairoa McMillan is expected to win the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award. But even though he gets the most attention, McMillan is far from the only rookie who will contribute to the Panthers today as they open the playoffs against the Rams.
In fact, Panthers coach Dave Canales said general manager Dan Morgan had an exceptional success rate in this year’s draft, as all eight players selected by the Panthers contributed as rookies.
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“Dan Morgan, an incredible job he did evaluating talent, football character, personal character and then the ability to help us from a football standpoint,” Canales said. “He and I have constant conversations about how we can get these guys involved, because they’re going to have to help us at some point. That’s been true for all of them. They’ve all had to step up and help us.”
Among the rookies mentioned by Canales were sixth-round receiver Jimmy Horn, second-round pass rusher Nic Scourton and fourth-round safety Lathan Ransom.
“Jimmy Horn’s role has continued to grow. Nic has been there the entire time. Lathan Ransom has moved into different roles and made an impact on special teams. I can go on and on, our entire rookie class,” Canales said.
Canales added that he and his assistant coaches believe in giving opportunities to rookies, sometimes even knowing they will make rookie mistakes, because of the long-term benefits that young players experience provides.
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“This is also a team that is committed to development, committed to spending all the extra time they need with these guys to make sure they are as ready as possible for game day,” Canales said. “We need them. We need them now, we’ve needed them all along, and certainly in the future. Every mistake a rookie makes for you early on is an investment in your future, and is an opportunity to learn and grow and it pays dividends.”
In addition to having their eight draft picks on the 53-man roster, the Panthers also have three undrafted rookies. They’re loaded with rookies who will play their first playoff action today — and who the Panthers hope will be part of a team that makes plenty of playoff games in the future.
