The Carolina Panthers wide receiver position is one of the deepest and most competitive on the training camp field. Because of depth needed elsewhere on the field, the Panthers are expected to keep only five wide receivers this season.

Through two days of training camp, here is how the top 5 is starting to shape up. Note: This list will remain fluid throughout camp.

Top 5 Receivers

Kelvin Benjamin – Kelvin appears to be back in near perfect form after his ACL tear last season. In fact, he has already made some pretty amazing plays. Benjamin is, of course, a lock to make this team and probably will not budge from this number 1 spot all season long.

Devin Funchess – Funchess has also played well this year, although he is being overshadowed a bit by Benjamin. But, if you compare Funchess this year to the Funchess of a year ago, it is like they are two different players. Today, Funchess is a first team player and making tough catches, primarily in that intermediate 5-15 yards from the line of scrimmage. Last season he saw much of his time with the second and third strings.

Philly Brown – Even though he is coming off a shoulder injury, Brown has looked sharp in the first two days of Carolina Panthers Camp. Brown does very well when he finds a soft spot in zone defensive coverage. Once the ball is in his hands, he has been gaining several yards after catch before any contact is made. As of today, Brown also look like a lock to make this team.

Stephen Hill – Now here is an interesting development. I have told you all offseason the Carolina Panthers had confidence in Stephen Hill. Now we are starting to see why. Hill has made two really nice catches in as many days in camp. On day 1 it was a touchdown catch from Joe Webb in heavy traffic. On day 2 is was a long reception from Cam Newton over Colin Jones (pictured below). Hill is being used as a deep threat currently due to his tremendous speed. His main competition in this training camp may actually be the other deep threat, Ted Ginn.

Ted Ginn – Ginn has not had a very good camp so far. On day 1 he dropped a kickoff return. On day 2, he had issues with drops and intercepted passes that were intended for him. I still do think he is a lock to make this team, but if his current performance continues on… I may start to question myself.

On the Bubble

Kevin Norwood – Norwood definitely looks the part of a NFL wide receiver. He also has done all of the right things including making a really nice reception in traffic on day 1 of training camp. Norwood needs to keep making those plays and he will see increased playing time with Cam Newton. If he can do that, he could make the Panthers coaching staff take a long hard look at keeping a sixth receiver. The Panthers gave up a draft pick last year for Norwood and would like to see a return on that investment.

Brenton Bersin – Bersin is usually a camp standout, but has not made many plays so far this year. Am I ready to count him out? Definitely not. If there is one thing Bersin has shown it is his tenacity. I feel he will still make a push to be on the roster.

Damiere Byrd – There was much excitement over Byrd this past offseason, but that just has not translated into plays on the field yet. There was an exciting moment in day 2 of camp where Byrd was matched up one on one with Tre Boston and got behind him, but the ball was overthrown. As coach Rivera would say… Missed Opportunity.

Keyarris Garrett – As an undrafted rookie, Garrett needed to quickly impress to move up the depth chart and get more reps. Unfortunately for him, that has not happened. Garrett had a crucial drop on day 2 of camp. While he was wide open, the pass hit him squarely in the hands and popped out. This is a sure fire way to get fewer reps, not more. Garrett needs to make the most of his opportunities from here on out.

More Carolina Panthers Camp Coverage

Day 2 Notes and Photos -> LINK

Rookie Watch – James Bradberry -> LINK

Day 1 Notes and Photos -> LINK