Kelvin Benjamin Brings Special Qualities To The Carolina Panthers

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Back in March the unthinkable happened when the Carolina Panthers cut fan favorite Steve Smith. For a decade and some change Smith shattered every franchise record that you could think of and cemented his place as the greatest player in team history. When the team decided to let #89 go it sent the fan base into an unwanted frenzy and angered spewed across the Carolinas as the teams most iconic player went separate ways with the franchise. That was March, This was May-draft day. The Carolina Panthers alleviated many fans concerns for the future when they took Florida State wideout Kelvin Benjamin with the 28th pick in the NFL draft. Fans can say what they want about Steve Smith but this kid brings qualities to the Carolina Panthers that no receiver ever has.

Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman became the public enemy #1 to the Panthers fanbase (myself included) the day he cut Steve Smith. Of course fans would be outraged you just cut a man who gave you everything he had for the last decade and earned his spot right near the top with the best receivers of the last 15 years. This isall coming off a 12-4 season in which the Panthers won the division, fans had a right to be outraged. They would had even more of a reason to be outraged had the Panthers not addressed this need in the draft, they did that and then some by taking Kelvin Benjamin in the first round. “You can’t coach 6-5, 240” said Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman. That statement couldn’t be any truer when speaking about a guy like Benjamin.

In the NFL everything is about matchups and how you can dictate them in your favor to create mismatches in certain situations. You need players with special skill sets to do that and that’s exactly what Benjamin is- A walking mismatch. He’s the type of player that coaches will have to game plan for as well as the type of player who has a great shot to become a high-end number one receiver. You can line him up inside or outside and he will make plays in any situation. He doesn’t have elite speed but that s ok because his size, catch radius and clutch DNA make him a very intriguing player with a high upside in this league.



For those who don’t know a lot about Kelvin Benjamin allow me to educate you on him. He played for the Florida State Seminoles and was the #1 receiver on the team that just won the national championship over Auburn this past season. He collected 54 receptions, 1,011 yards and 15 touchdowns last year at FSU. His most important catch came in the national championship and it so happend to be the game winner that put FSU over the top and allowed them to return to championship glory. So there’s a very brief summary on him.

Dave Gettleman and Ron Rivera spoke highly of Benjamin all through out the press conference.” His size is phenomenal. He has a real high ceiling.” Said coach Rivera. Dave Gettleman also spoke of how Benjamin’s size and red zone ability forces teams to not put 8 guys in the box and allow the Panthers to run the ball more effectively. Thats a great point and also speaks to the ripple effect Benjamin will have on the team during the season. The Panthers have never had a guy that posseses the combination of upside, size and skillset like Benjamin. “Anywhere in the area code this kid can make a play” stated Michael Irvin on NFL Network. He later went on to compare him to Brandon Marshall of the Chciago Bears and call him one of the steals of this years draft.

Cam Newton often gets criticized for his lack of accuracy but ask yourself this, when has Cam ever had a big body receiver to throw to? Matthew Stafford has Calvin Johnson, Peyton Manning has Demaryus Thomas. Cam has never had that type of player that you don’t have to make a perfect throw for a pass to be completed. No disrespect to Steve Smith but him and Benjamin are different breeds. Steve plays big but Kelvin is big, there’s a difference. I think highly skilled receivers with size can be underrated at times from the standpoint that they give quarterbacks a larger margin for error as opposed to dominant slot receivers. Kelvin’s giving Cam a luxury he hasn’t yet experienced and I think this pick is going to help everybody.

Of course the front office and fans aren’t the only people excited about playing for the Panthers. Kelvin openly admits that it was a dream of his to play with Cam Newton. He also went on to say that he would always play with the Panthers in Madden. “There’s no limit. We’ve just got to get that connection down and work as a team and grind together” those were the words Benjamin used when describing how good his connection with Cam can be. He’s coming into a great situation where he can learn how to run routes more effectively from guys like Jason Avant and Jericho Cotchery who are solid in that department. It’s an exciting time and Kelvin will fit in quite nicely with the Panthers.

At the end of the day this guy is bringing exceptional size, clutch ability and has franchise number one receiver written all over him. He’s bringing the ability to demand extra attention from opposing defenses coming out of college. Obviously he will need some time to acclimate himself to the speed of the NFL game but all the tools are there for the kid. Steve Smith was great and one day he will end up in Canton but Kelvin Benjamin brings the size strength, length, arm size, hand size and physicality that will allow him to be one of the most dangerous threats in the entire NFL and that within itself is something the Carolina Panthers organization has never had.