CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The line was tossed into the end of a lengthy interview with Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera so subtly that it almost was lost.

But it spoke volumes.

“We could’ve used him better," Rivera said last week about third-year wide receiver Devin Funchess.

Funchess has been the forgotten receiver during offseason workouts with the focus on the weight of Kelvin Benjamin, the speed of second-round pick Curtis Samuel and the potential of Russell Shepard.

In many ways, Funchess was the forgotten receiver during the 2016 season as he caught only 23 passes for 371 yards and four touchdowns, a drop-off from his rookie year of 2015, when he had 31 catches for 473 yards and five touchdowns.

But the Panthers still are high on Funchess. Coming out of training camp last year, he arguably was the team's most valuable player on offense.

They still believe his size (6-foot-4, 225 pounds) and speed can be a potent weapon for an offense that sputtered much of last season.

“That's one of the things we're learning about Devin is how much more we can use him," Rivera said.

Potential. It’s been the key word surrounding Funchess since the Panthers selected him out of Michigan in the second round in 2015.

He was the first receiver mentioned as a replacement for Benjamin when the 2014 first-round pick suffered a season-ending ACL tear during camp two summers ago. Funchess was the talk of camp a year ago, making one big catch after another.

Funchess contributed to his hype when he said there wasn’t a better combination of size and speed in a draft that included Amari Cooper, selected No. 4 overall by Oakland.

“Nobody," Funchess said. “Most of the wideouts just play one position. I can play it all."

He later told the Detroit News he and Benjamin were going to cause “havoc on the field."

It hasn’t happened yet.

Maybe this will be the year. The third season often is when a wide receiver shows dramatic improvement. For example, Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker -- all selected in the 2010 draft -- broke out in their third seasons.

Third-Year Breakouts It's not a guarantee, but it's often said that for receivers, the third year provides a breakthrough. A look at six current NFL receivers who had breakout third seasons, with their receptions, yards and touchdowns. Player, team First 2 seasons Third season Demaryius Thomas, Broncos 54-834-6 94-1,434-10 Dez Bryant, Cowboys 108-1,489-15 92-1,382-12 Eric Decker, Broncos 50-718-9 85-1,064-13 Davante Adams, Packers 88-929-4 75-997-12 Darrius Heyward Bey, Raiders 35-490-2 64-975-4 Marqise Lee, Jaguars 52-613-2 63-851-3

Funchess already is showing more leadership.

“Watch how he's dealing with the younger players," Rivera said. “Here's a guy that's going into his third season who can really be a big player for us. He’s put his arm around some of these guys and has really tried to help them."

A breakout year from Funchess, along with improved production from Benjamin and the dynamic playmaking ability of Samuel and first-round pick Christian McCaffrey, would give quarterback Cam Newton more weapons at receiver than he’s had at any point in his career.

That would take the pressure off Newton to run, which has been an objective this offseason.

It’s just a matter of, as Rivera said, the Panthers finding better ways of using Funchess, and Funchess working harder to get open.

“He's confident in what he's doing," Rivera said. “He's willing to share with the younger guys and help coach them up. So I'm excited about who he can be."