In June, Panthers coach Ron Rivera gushed over receiver Devin Funchess as being "light years ahead of where he was" as a rookie. The high praise out of Carolina just keeps coming.
"He's becoming such a good young pro and understanding what it takes to be successful," Rivera said at training camp this week, per The Charlotte Observer. "And when he's not doing things right, he really gets on himself, so I'm glad to see that maturation that he's going through."
As last year's second-round pick, Funchess was thrust into a starting role after wideout Kelvin Benjamin suffered a season-ending ACL injury before Week 1. That rookie-year transition included its share of bumps in the road, but the 6-foot-4, 228-pound Funchess bloomed to catch five touchdowns over Carolina's final nine regular-season games with a whopping 120 yards in the team's Week 17 win over the Buccaneers. Funchess is in the mix for targets but it's a bit of a crowded position, especially with the return of Benjamin and the play of Ted Ginn and Corey Brown. But, we have Funchess second among that group in our rankings.
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