When Kelvin Benjamin tore his ACL, rookie Devin Funchess shot up draft boards. He's the same size as Benjamin, so it would be nice to think the rookie could fill the same role in Carolina's offense. But that might be unreasonable.
Funchess is raw, and while he's big he's also slow. He won't get much separation on his routes, and there's no guarantee he'll be nearly as good at winning contested passes as Benjamin. He didn't suit up for the third preseason game due to a hamstring injury.
Carolina's most effective receiver was former Jet and Steeler Jerricho Cotchery. He caught 4 passes for 38 yards in the game. He left with a groin injury, however, so it's too early to say if he'll even be healthy enough to start.
After Cotchery, things look ugly. Corey Brown had a wretched game, dropping a perfectly thrown ball by Cam Newton that should have been an easy touchdown. He also dropped a pass inside the 10 that would have converted a third-and-short. Not only did Cotchery look miles better, but so did Ted Ginn Jr.
The clear beneficiary in all this is Greg Olsen, who caught 6 balls for 51 yards. He's going to be heavily targeted in the offense.
Carolina also has Jarrett Boykin at wide receiver, but all of his snaps in the third exhibition came with the reserves, deep in the fourth quarter.
Where does this leave Carolina? Until Funchess gets up to speed, Cotchery, if healthy, looks like the best option. Brown will maybe be the other starter, but Ginn is also a possibility.
It's not surprising the team wants Funchess in that role, but we'll see. If drafting this weekend, there's not a Carolina wideout who looks overly appealing. Forced to choose, a last-round pick on Cotchery might be the way to go.
--Andy Richardson