There are worse things in life than being a second-round pick in the NFL Draft. Of course, that’s not necessarily what kids dream of. Take Kawann Short, for example.

After surviving the rough streets of East Chicago, he wound up at Purdue, where he improved his draft prospects during each of his four seasons. But the first day of the 2013 draft came and went without Short hearing his name. So Wednesday, when he was named the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Week, Short was again asked about his old wound. Were you disappointed you weren’t a first-round pick?

“Of course. Everybody wanted to go first round. Everybody wanted to be that number one pick,” Short said. “But these are the cards you dealt with. It’s just the resume that you built."

And according to NFL.com, a major part of Short’s résumé was:

"Frame is out of proportion, as he has thin legs and holds extra weight in the middle of his body. Needs to find the ball consistently, regularly gets fooled by misdirection. Gets upright out of his stance. Does not have closing speed to chase plays away from the trenches. Play-to-play effort is questionable; stands around to watch the play too often, especially when tired or playing against better talent. Struggles when he can't win with quickness, and is inconsistent anchoring vs. base blocks and double teams. Doesn't have an array of moves to disengage."

Wonder what Russell Wilson would say about Short’s disproportionate frame and effort?

Short sacked the Seahawks’ quarterback twice last Sunday. Each came on pivotal third downs that forced Seattle to punt. His stat-sheet stuffing line of two sacks, five tackles and a pass defensed made Short the first defensive tackle in Panthers’ history to be named Player of the Week.

“[Wilson] was going to be the difference-maker in the game, and you just have to contain him, keep him in the pocket. Make him step up and scramble through the middle instead of outside,” Short said. "You had Ryan [Delaire], Wes [Horton], Kony [Ealy] and Mario [Addison] all those guys containing him inside, and it made it easier for my job when he stepped up right into my arms."

Short wasn’t just saying the right things about his teammates, he was speaking the truth.

"He benefited from the play of the other guys around him,” coach Ron Rivera said. "When you look at what Star [Lotulelei] did holding the doubles, dropping anchor and just being stout there, forcing the ball to bounce; the defensive ends containing things, making things come back inside."

That’s not to take anything away from Short’s day, which was an extension of his exceptional third season. He’s currently pegged as the NFL's 4th-best defensive tackle by Pro Football Focus, but ratings and stats rarely tell a complete story at defensive tackle.

Short’s success makes Lotulelei’s lack of production stick out, especially since Lotulelei was the Panthers’ first-round pick in that 2013 draft. But Lotulelei, who has four tackles and no sacks in 2015, fits more of a run-stuffing role, takes on more double teams and missed two games with a foot injury that still isn’t completely healed. Sure, you could look at Lotulelei’s season totals of four tackles and no sacks and think Short is the long elite guy in the middle of the Panthers’ line. Or you could ask Chip Kelly.

“There’s a reason they were both very, very high draft picks because they’re both playing at really high levels right now,” the Eagles coach said on a conference call with Carolina media. “They can anchor, they demand double teams and that allows Luke [Kuechly] and Thomas [Davis] to run free because they can tie up some people.

“When you have two outstanding defensive tackles like that with two outstanding inside linebackers behind them that’s a really tough matchup to run the football against."

When Dave Gettleman doubled up on defensive tackles with his first two picks as Carolina’s general manager, some thought it was a strange strategy. Consider it another example of the usefulness of draft grades.

"It's paid dividends from Day One,” Rivera said.

"Star is holding doubles and doing dirty work and K.K. is splitting seams and getting vertical and making plays. This is what you're looking for. This is the kind of impact you need."

With their rookie deals set to expire after 2016, the Panthers could look at locking up both young defensive tackles with long-term deals this offseason. And this time, Short may end up going ahead of Lotulelei.

"Easily, Kawann could have gone in the first round,” Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott said.

"He's got slippery hips, works his hands in the pass game and yet he's powerful coming off the ball in the run game. I think his best football's ahead of him."