Panthers 2017 Rookie Camp In GIF Form

[Saca312]

The Panthers have finally completed their rookie camp for this year. With new rookies coming in from the 2017 draft class, they all did their part in showing to the coaches what they were made of. A bountiful amount of UDFA and tryout players were on the field as well, hoping to have a possible shot at making it to training camp. 

It's a fun time, with football-related action in full-swing. Players coming out and competing for spots, and hoping to show the Panthers they belong. 

Here's a glimpse of what happened from the rookies themselves in GIF form:

RB Christian McCaffrey

A man among boys. That's what Christian McCaffrey looked like on the field.

Igo best describes McCaffrey here:

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McCaffrey doesn’t run and cut to get where he needs to be. It is more like he glides, his feet rarely touching the ground.

That's pretty descriptive of the elusive running style McCaffrey employs. A beautiful work of art.

When he was on the field, it was a mismatch everywhere. No matter what a defender would try to do, McCaffrey would counter and be better. Just his presence was a mismatch. Everything about him was a mismatch.

Just watch a mismatch take place here as he sends a defensive back's soul to a better place:

McCaffrey just has a knack of getting open and making plays. He dominates the competition in rookie camp and proving his worth as a first round pick.

Aren't you glad to see that this is the end of the Fozzy/Ginn/Webb returner days, and a new era for the Samuel, Corn, and McCaffrey returns? McCaffrey shows he'll be a solid addition in that area.

Again, you could just see the refinement in running from McCaffrey, and how good he truly is. He seems to glide rather than run, and that's certainly someone I'd love to see paired with Stewart.

His effort level stands out the most. You know he'll be a willing blocker, and his technique in practice is looking good. Anytime you stand a dummy or defender up wth a decent roll of the hips, you know the guy can pass protect.

McCaffrey is going to be fun to watch when training camp comes.

WR Curtis Samuel

Curtis Samuel was also a man among boys. Igo said he was the guy who stood out among everyone at training camp, and his comparison is someone everyone will certainly remember:

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Samuel is the most dynamic and exciting wide receiver I have seen in a Carolina Panthers uniform since Steve Smith. While this may sound like blasphemy to some, I am confident most will agree once they see him in action. Samuel showed the balance and elusive ability that 89 was known for.

In fact, it reminded me of a comment I remember reading a few days ago concerning Samuel's comparison, and it was none other than to Smitty himself:

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Dude has an air of Smitty about him in the way he plays. Super blue collar 90% of the time, took a play off like every player seems to, but that mostly showed in route running urgency and didn't strike me as something that took him out of plays.

Anyways, Samuel showed why he was drafted with the Panthers 2nd rounder on the field with his performance. Standing out in probably the best way possible, he completed passes and made plays that will get anyone excited. Utilizing his speed, he bullied defenders out there like they were still statues.

Curtis Samuel climaxed his performance with the best catch in the camp, throwing out his body and catching an insane one-hander to cap off one heck of a performance.

A lot of people like to argue that Samuel has "questionable catching skills" because he occasionally body-catches, yet his stats say otherwise. According to Brandt, Samuel posted 74 catches without a drop in 2016. CFB Film Room reports that Samuel had a drop rate of 3.2% and OSU's most reliable receiver.

 

The above highlight just solidifies the fact that Samuel will be a reliable speed option for Cam Newton, and a monster for our offense.

FB Alex Armah

Armah's a big fella. Standing at an imposing 6'2", 253 pounds, he's got the mass and build of a freaking bulldozer. Any linebacker unfortunate enough to face him in the future will likely be in a very unfortunate situation.

However, what's also insane is how athletic he is. According to Tony Pauline, Alex Armah ran a 4.68 40, had a 34.5" vertical jump, a 10'2" broad jump, a 4.29 20-yard shuttle, a 7.00 3-cone, and had 26 reps on the bench press. That's some insane athleticism.

In rookie camp, Alex Armah was able to display some of that on a few drills. While the available media doesn't show much of him acting as a blocker or any of that sort, it does show his running ability, and how athletic he truly is.

When he runs, you could just see the effort and athleticism on display, and just how much of a nightmare it would be to see that 253 lber run right at you. Certainly not a prospect any linebacker in the NFL is looking forward to.

@Jeremy Igo is certainly in love with this kid. A nice change of scenery from the tub of lard Tolbert has become.

DE Daeshon Hall

Daeshon "Dae Dae" Hall is a very athletic and big prospect. Standing at 266 pounds with length inside (35+” arms), he ran a 4.76 40 (1.67 10), 4.38 5-10-5 shuttle, and a 7.03 3-cone. Hall has plenty of room to add muscle to his 6’5” 266 frame, and looks the part of a prototypical 4-3 DE. 

On the practice field, Hall worked to show his athleticism on full display. What one could notice from a simple drill was how fast and long he looked. His agility was on display, and his length was out to show off to the coaches.

He will definitely need to add more muscle and strength to his frame - evidenced by being man-handled by Moton all day - but he's got the traits to succeed. His frame has the potential to add plenty of weight, and a year of NFL conditioning will get him where he needs to be soon.

OT Taylor Moton

Taylor Moton is a big man. At 6'5", 320lbs, he's a tough hogmollie to bring down no matter how you look at it. His intimidating size just demands attention, and he won't let anyone get the best of him. In rookie camp, Igo reported that he dominated in all his assignments, including against Hall.

He is also one of the better pass blockers from his class. PFF has him as the 3rd best in pass protection according to this chart.

 

So it's no wonder you see such explosion and effort when you watch Moton complete some drills.

I sat appalled that none of the equipment broke with how much force Moton put with his effort.

A big guy who will fill in nicely for LT or RT. A future to look forward to.

LB Ben Boulware

One of the bigger stories this draft class is Clemson's own Ben Boulware. An intimidating guy, he has the strive and love for football you just want to see in every player. Coming to BoA stadium 90 minutes early one time and sitting in his car just shows his absolute determination to make an impact on the team.

You can see that energy and yearn from the way he does his drills. He attacks with everything he has, and you can tell that he's putting all he can on the field, hoping to prove all the naysayers wrong.

A guy I'm actively rooting for to make it on the team. Would be a fantastic learning opportunity behind Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly, and a quality player to boot.

Conclusion

A high quality rookie camp with many players and storylines to go along with it. These rookies left a mark on the field today, and there's no doubt in my mind next year is going to be special. With the amount of weapons Cam is about to have, along with how good the team is overall, this may very well be one of the best Panther overall units we'll be putting out there next year.

Buckle up. It's going to be a fun time.

 

[therealmjl]

13 minutes ago, thebigcat said:

I'm so glad Verizon switched back to the unlimited plan


Sent from my iPhone using CarolinaHuddle

Yeah I'm sure those data caps were really hurting your Audemars budget

[Hoenheim]

McCaffrey just looks fast as fuging hell. I hope Shula calls plays just to get him in space and let him do work. That first gif of him hot damn, that defender still looks like he's sliding right when McCaffrey's already gone to the left LOL

[Saca312]

2 hours ago, thebigcat said:

I'm so glad Verizon switched back to the unlimited plan


Sent from my iPhone using CarolinaHuddle

You don't even know.

[Saca312]

18 hours ago, Hoenheim said:

McCaffrey just looks fast as fuging hell. I hope Shula calls plays just to get him in space and let him do work. That first gif of him hot damn, that defender still looks like he's sliding right when McCaffrey's already gone to the left LOL

He's gonna be sending a lot of defenders ankles off on the fast lane out of the stadium.

[Mr. Scot]

Solid post as always, Sac.

I'm pondering doing some further analysis on one of those looks myself.

[Snake]

Moton excits me. Dude looks like a future RT and is just a monster. 

[shaqattaq]

Nice job Saca. This post makes me so frikken happy!

[Saca312]

16 hours ago, Snake said:

Moton excits me. Dude looks like a future RT and is just a monster. 

His film shows a monster.

[TNPanther]