Kelvin Benjamin is not a number 1 receiver but that's ok

Kelvin Benjamin is not a true number 1 NFL wide receiver in my opinion. Benjamin is not a burner, does not have the best hands and is lazy in his route running. That does not mean that the Carolina Panthers can't get some use out of Benjamin.

Kelvin Benjamin can be a good move the chains possession receiver using his size to box out defenders, especially in the red zone. If all the negative attention Kelvin Benjamin is getting for being overweight motivates him then all the better.

Some Panthers fans will defend Kelvin Benjamin to the death or even longer! Yes Benjamin had a bad knee injury and yes his states look ok to the naked eye. I just don't think KB is a legit number one wide receiver and I also don't think it matters very much.

Cam Newton had the best season of his career and won the NFL MVP without Kelvin Benjamin and a true number one wide receiver. Greg Olsen is the key target in the passing game and now with the rookie additions the Panthers

The Panthers want to try to incorporate some of the Patriots offense into their own playbook. The Patriots offense really looks like a West Coast offense to me with lots of short, quick throws. This helps a quarterback prevent being hit so often and negates to a degree a bad offensive line.

The big question is how Cam Newton will adapt to that style of offense, after missing a lot of off season time recovering from a late shoulder surgery. Cam also is not the most accurate short passer and may break some fingers with his fastball on short throws. I think Cam is better suited to a Norv Turner offense with deep drops and long, deep throws.

That being said I have seen Cam play some of his best football when the Panthers speed him up in the hurry up offense. If they do some of that with the short throws, then Cam could do well in this offense despite not having a true number one wide receiver.

Photo By Keith Allison - Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35800679