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Panthers got strong contribution from their rookie class on the path to the playoffs

Story byMichael David SmithSat, January 10, 2026 at 5:40 PM UTC·2 min readPanthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is expected to win the NFL's offensive rookie of the year honor. But while he's getting most of the attention, McMillan is far from the only rookie who will contribute to the Panthers today as they open the playoffs against the Rams. In fact, Panthers coach Dave Canales said General Manager Dan Morgan had an exceptional hit rate in this year's draft, as all eight players the Panthers selected contributed as rookies. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"Dan Morgan, amazing job he's done evaluating talent, evaluating football character, personal character, and then the ability to help us from a football standpoint," Canales said. "He and I have constant conversations about how can we get these guys involved because they're going to have to help us at some point.

Panthers got strong contribution from their rookie class on the path to the playoffs

Credit: Yahoo

Key Highlights

  • That's been true for all of them.
  • They've all had to step up and help us."Among the rookies Canales mentioned were sixth-round wide receiver Jimmy Horn, second-round pass rusher Nic Scourton and fourth-round safety Lathan Ransom."Jimmy Horn's role has continued to grow.
  • Nic has been out there the whole time.
  • Lathan Ransom growing into different roles and making impacts on special teams.
  • I can go on and on, our entire rookie class," Canales said. Canales added that he and his assistant coaches believe in giving rookies opportunities, sometimes even knowing they're going to make rookie mistakes, because of the long-term benefits of getting young players experience. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"It's also a staff that's committed to development, that's committed to spending all the extra time they need to with these guy sto make sure they're as ready as possible for game day," Canales said.
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Sources

  1. Panthers got strong contribution from their rookie class on the path to the playoffs

This quick summary is automatically generated using AI based on reports from multiple news sources. The content has not been reviewed or verified by humans. For complete details, accuracy, and context, please refer to the original published articles.

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