Kelvin Benjamin

Midseason receiver trades are rare - in part because it's hard to learn a new system on the fly - but Benjamin was dealt to the Bills anyway, and the results were as one might expect. In six games, Benjamin failed to clear 75 yards and had more than 50 only once, though missing two weeks with a torn meniscus didn't help. He scored only one TD with Buffalo and made no impact in the team's playoff loss to the Jaguars. At 6-5, 245, and with 4.61 speed, Benjamin profiles almost as a fast tight end rather than a receiver, but either way he creates matchup problems for smaller corners and doesn't need to be open to come down with the ball. The challenge this season will be the team's quarterback play - AJ McCarron, Nathan Peterman and seventh overall pick Josh Allen are arguably the league's weakest trio - and the offense isn't likely to generate a lot of red-zone chances. On the bright side, Benjamin underwent offseason surgery on his knee and was a full participant in the Bills' offseason program in April. He's still the team's No. 1 receiver, and it's possible the QBs could surprise. Coach Sean McDermott said Benjamin looked healthy throughout OTAs, appearing leaner, stronger and faster than in 2017, when he was injured for much of the campaign.

Through two games, during which he went 13-199-3, it looked like Benjamin, one year removed from ACL surgery, might be a top-10 WR. But from Weeks 3-17, he never once cracked 95 yards, and despite his 6-5, 245-pound frame, scored only four more TDs. In the end, Benjamin's disparate 14.9 YPC (7th) and 8.0 YPT (25th) and underwhelming season can in part be explained by Cam Newton's odd year -- Newton completed only 52.9 percent of his passes, dead last among qualifying QBs. Despite his size, Benjamin saw only a modest amount of work in the red zone -- 15 targets, five of which he turned into TDs. Benjamin's 4.61 40 time is on the slow side, but he's the biggest wideout in the league, and that mark would be fast for a tight end. Benjamin has struggled with drops, and at press time coach Ron Rivera expressed concerns about his weight. But the team picked up Benjamin's fifth-year option, and he heads into the season as Newton's top WR, albeit with TE Greg Olsen as his top target. The Panthers also drafted pass-catching back Christian McCaffery with the eighth overall pick and slot man Curtis Samuel in Round 2, but it's unclear how their presence will affect Benjamin who typically runs deeper routes. In fact, the departure of deep threat Ted Ginn (95 targets) might free Benjamin up for more big plays -- assuming he gets in shape.

After a productive rookie season, though one plagued by dropped passes, Benjamin looked like the Panthers' No. 1 receiver for the foreseeable future. Then he tore his ACL in training camp and missed out on Cam Newton's MVP campaign. Benjamin wasn't especially efficient as a rookie, with only 7.0 YPT and two catches of 40-plus yards. But that was in a passing game that generated only 7.0 YPA (22nd) - last year's Panthers had 7.7 (8th). Benjamin isn't fast, his 4.6 40 time is below average, but at 6-5, 245, he's the biggest wideout in the league. As such, it's unsurprising he was able to leverage 17 red-zone looks and seven targets inside the 10 into nine scores as a rookie. Benjamin is on track to be a full participant in training camp, and if he proves he's all the way back we imagine he'd reprise his role as the team's top target. Last year's second-round draft pick Devin Funchess showed flashes, but never established himself, and speedster Ted Ginn made big plays but was erratic and dropped too many passes. Benjamin did have some conditioning issues during training camp, which could lead to a limited snap count early in the season.

Let's start with the positives: Benjamin is only one of eight rookie receivers since the start of the millennium to post a 1,000-yard season, and he scored nine times, largely on account of his massive 6-5, 240-pound frame. He did this in a passing game that generated only 7.0 YPA (22nd) and 23 passing TDs (T-15th). Conversely, Benjamin averaged a meager 7.0 YPT (31st among the league's 41 100-target WR), had only two catches of 40-plus yards and tied for the league lead in drops with 10. Benjamin is also on the slow side (4.6 40), though he requires far less separation from opposing DBs given his size and huge catch radius. Heading into Year 2, it was reasonable to project some improvement, but alas Benjamin suffered a torn ACL in August and will miss the 2015 season.

If any team needed to draft a receiver in the first round, it was the Panthers. With Steve Smith and Brandon LaFell gone, Carolina had 31-year old placeholders Jerricho Cotchery and Jason Avant atop the depth chart, but two veteran possession threats were not going to cut it on what’s presumably a contending team. Enter the 6-5, 241-pound Benjamin with the 28th overall pick. He may be on the slow side for a true No. 1 (4.6 40), and his hands and focus were questionable at times in college. But he’s a good athlete and a massive target with a huge catch radius. As long as he doesn’t underwhelm in camp, Benjamin should start out of the gate and be a frequent red-zone target.