Meet Cam Newton's Best Friend: Rookie Wide Receiver Kelvin Benjamin

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has a new best friend. His name? Kelvin Benjamin.

The 2014 NFL draft class was highly touted for its gleaming crop of wide receivers. Even with the Johnny Football hyperbole cranked up to an extraordinary level, pundits clamored over the depth and talent available at the wide receiving position.

One of the best parts about this group of pass-catchers was how its the skill sets contrasted from one another. You had speedy wide receivers such as Brandin Cooks from Oregon State, big targets such as Mike Evans and, of course, the complete package in Clemson's Sammy Watkins.

Benjamin was stuck somewhere in between those guys on most draft boards. At 6'5", he had the height of Evans, but one concern was that he lacked enough speed to separate from NFL defenders. 

NFL Media draft analyst Mike Mayock wasn't completely sold on Benjamin when the Panthers selected him with the 28th overall pick in the draft.

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He's 6-foot-5, 240 pounds with 35-inch arms, and you're talking about a catching radius. However, there's one thing about wide receivers with only one year of college production (like Benjamin at FSU) and it's a little sobering when you look at the names on that list: Stephen Hill, Greg Little, Devin Thomas, Anthony Gonzalez.

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Even with that concern, Benjamin was dominant in college. Florida State's run to the 2014 BCS National Championship put its entire roster under a microscope. With Jameis Winston at quarterback, Benjamin became the go-to target for big plays.

His 54 receptions for 1,011 yards and 15 scores were capped off by a game-winning touchdown catch in the dying moments of the national championship game.

Rob Rang of NFLDraftScout.com (h/t CBSSports.com) took the liberty of comparing him to former Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants receiver Plaxico Burress—a comparison that fits based on their measurables and big-play ability.

Essentially, that comparison means you can't teach size. Already in two games with the Panthers, he's used that size to earn the trust of his quarterbacks and victimize guys who earn their paychecks playing in the secondary.

Developing Trust

Receivers can have all of the physical tools in the world, but that doesn't mean a thing if their quarterbacks don't trust them. Watching the tape, Benjamin has already earned a level of trust with both Derek Anderson and Newton.

In the breakdown below, you'll see an example of that.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

With about eight minutes left in the first half against the Detroit Lions, the Panthers lined up in a shotgun set featuring two receivers, two tight ends and a halfback. The play was designed to give Benjamin a shot at coming down with the ball in the corner of the end zone.

Lined up next to Greg Olsen, both guys ran a corner route. With two Lions defenders sitting in coverage, the goal was for Olsen to cut his route short, while Benjamin extended his toward the end zone.

By creating this situation, ideally one of the guys in coverage would pursue Olsen, freeing up the 6'5" Benjamin to take advantage of a one-on-one matchup.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Panthers offensive coordinator Mike Shula deserves credit for drawing this one up on third down. As soon as the play gets underway, Newton locks onto his target and fires it in Benjamin's direction.

A slight hesitation by the defensive back near Olsen allows Benjamin the space needed to go up for the football.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Benjamin picks the ball out of the air with ease, but because of the angle, he can't get his second foot inbounds.

Touchdown or not, this shows that Newton has confidence in his towering pass-catcher. There was no hesitation or fear from the second the ball was snapped to propel it his way. I guess Newton must have gotten himself familiar with all of that tape from Benjamin's days at Florida State.

Looking Beyond the Stats

We live in a world that's reliant on statistics. You can blame fantasy football all you want, but that won't change the fact that football is reliant on numbers. In Benjamin's case, it's important to look past the stats in order to see the inner workings of his development.

Jonathan Jones of The State talked about how the Panthers' coaching staff has been grading each of his performances on a scale from zero all the way up to 100. NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal provided a comparison of the Panthers' 2013 catches of 20-plus yards to what Benjamin has accomplished thus far for the 2014 season:

Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers you'd figure he would have finished with high marks. But as Jones pointed out, that wasn't the case. "Benjamin had six catches for a game-high 92 yards against Tampa Bay in Week 1, but Carolina’s coaches graded him out at 70 out of 100 for the game."

Why did he receive such an average grade? Simple: In the NFL, success doesn't always come down to the numbers. The rookie made a handful of mistakes such as running the wrong route and screwing up on a blocking assignment.

With Newton back in the mix for Week 2, Benjamin's grade ameliorated. "Last Sunday against Detroit, Benjamin got a refrigerator-worthy grade of 93. He only had two catches for 46 yards, but the coaches liked his blocking more as the Lions used more double coverage on the rookie than the Buccaneers had," Jones explained.

There's a lot to like when you turn on the film and watch this guy play. Outside of the obvious, he seems to be focused on absorbing the minutiae needed to be effective in the National Football League.

Cleaning Up the Drops

The quickest way to see your career come to an abrupt end in this league is by dropping passes. A huge knock on Benjamin was the fact that for a guy with such resounding physical tools, he had issues hanging onto the football.

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

Pro Football Focus' (subscription required) resident data miners have attributed Benjamin with two drops on the season—both last week versus Detroit. "I hold myself to a higher standard. I've just got to move on from [the two drops]. I can't let that hold me back," he told ESPN.com's David Newton.

In order to keep the level of trust he's earned with his quarterback, Benjamin has to make sure tightening up those issues becomes priority No. 1.

What the Future Holds

When you see a 6'5" wide receiver leap up and catch the ball in a spectacular manner, it's hard not to be mesmerized. Over the last five years, these physical specimens have dominated the league. Calvin Johnson set the bar high and guys such as Julio Jones and Demaryius Thomas have followed suit.

Stunning plays are just a fraction of what matters at wide receiver. As we touched on earlier, it's the little things that mean the most.

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Physically, Benjamin is already there. His height and weight distribution alone will pose a problem for defensive backs. It's going to be a continued dedication to his craft that will determine whether or not he's able to move forward and become a reliable target for the Panthers' organization.

With Newton being 25 years old and Benjamin two years his junior, there's a distinct possibility that we could see these two guys making defenses in the NFC South cringe for years to come.

Unless otherwise noted all college football stats and information courtesy of Sports-Reference.com. Game scores, stats and information courtesy of ESPN.com.