It took some time to get to that point (too long Saturday night), but time has been a luxury all season. With no traditional offseason program or OTAs because of COVID-19, the Panthers are putting this thing together on the fly, without the hundreds of snaps of work they’d normally have had.

“You’re taking a group of guys that’s had not even a full month together really before this,” Brown said. “I mean that was in virtual meetings. It’s been a long season, but it’s something that we have to overcome and just going forward being able to rely on one another and just laying it on the line for each other.”

The progression goes beyond the high picks.

The Panthers have used undrafted rookie Myles Hartsfield more in recent weeks as their nickel, and the converted running back/safety played nearly half the