Now that the Spartanburg portion of Carolina Panthers training camp is coming to an end, I thought I would take a moment to look back at the top 5 things than can be taken away from observing all of the practices first hand.

Top 5 Carolina Panthers Training Camp Takeaways

About those Corners: All things considered, the Carolina Panthers rookie corners were impressive. James Bradberry, Daryl Worley, and Zack Sanchez exceeded expectations. Before training camp started, I was prepared to accept that the Panthers secondary would take a huge step back from this time last year. But they just didn’t. Yes, Kelvin Benjamin did abuse the rookies for most of the time he was on the field, but he did the exact same thing to Josh Norman last year in camp.

I am not saying the rookies dominated camp, I am saying apples to apples, the cornerback position did not look much different than seasons past. Considering the Panthers are starting two rookie corners on the outside, that is pretty amazing.

The Dynamic Duo: Wide receivers Devin Funchess and Kelvin Benjamin proved to be the best training camp duo since Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad. I remember the training camp days of Smith and Muhammad. Often times they made it look easy. In that same way, both Benjamin and Funchess made jaw dropping plays seem almost effortless.

They do not compliment each other in the same ways that Smith and Muhammad did. Benjamin is the much more physical threat who will in an instant swat away a defender and pluck the football out of the air 10 feet above the ground. Funchess, on the other hand, is more fluid in his athletic ability. He has a dangerous combination of size, quickness, and elusiveness. In basketball terms, think of Benjamin as a power forward and Funchess as a small forward. Both can play at the same time and be extremely effective together.

Trouble at Defensive End: While the wide receivers position looks as good as it ever has, the Carolina Panthers defensive end depth remains a concern. Charles Johnson and Kony Ealy will be the starters, and that should be good enough when they are on the field. However, defensive ends are frequently rested during games, making depth a hugely important piece of the defensive end puzzle. The Panthers had hopes that second year defensive end Ryan Delaire would step up this year, but that just has not been the case so far. Delaire looked less than stellar against Baltimore, to put it nicely. Mario Addison and Wes Horton look like they always have, just good enough to make the roster.

Last preseason’s standouts Arthur Miley and Rakim Cox have not made much of an impression. Miley just hasn’t been getting it done. Cox has been injured and in danger of being placed on IR more sooner than later.

I am told this is a real concern for the Carolina Panthers moving forward. Do not be shocked if a defensive end is picked up once other teams’ cuts start taking place over the next few weeks.

Shaq Attack: Second year linebacker Shaq Thompson has improved a great deal. In fact, Thompson made as many plays, or perhaps even more, than Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly. Thompson’s ability to cover the field sideline to sideline was showcased throughout training camp. Seeing Thompson intercept a pass or swatting the ball away was so commonplace that it was almost no longer newsworthy. When a player makes play after play after play and it is merely the status quo for him, he has arrived.

Thompson’s improvement is paramount to the Carolina Panthers success this year. In addition to weak side linebacker, Thompson gives the Panthers another option at nickel that they desperately need.

Byrd is the Word: The Damiere Byrd hype is real. The second year wide receiver is making a strong case for an active roster spot this year. Byrd has moved up the depth chart and now receives a good number of reps with the first string. Last year at this time, he was lucky to get a rep with Derek Anderson. From Webb, to Anderson, and now with Newton. That is the quarterback progression a young Panthers wide receiver wants to see.

Throw in the fact that Byrd looked like the most promising special teams return man the Carolina Panthers have had since a guy named Steve Smith, and it is easy to see why he should make the Panthers roster.