The most exciting player at Carolina Panthers' rookie minicamp this weekend wasn't a rookie. It was a "veteran" who also happened to be the smallest guy on the field.
But receiver Damiere Byrd, who's still listed at 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds, isn't as diminutive as he used to be.
"I think about eight pounds," says coach Ron Rivera when I ask him for the biggest difference between the "new" Byrd and the speedster who initially turned heads at last year's rookie minicamp.
"You guys should ask him about that. He'll love the fact that you guys would mention he looks bigger."
On it.
"I put on about eight or nine pounds," Byrd tells me, likely holding back a smile.
While most in their mid-20s battle to keep weight off, the 23-year-old Byrd is in a bizarro world. In addition to his role on the practice squad, part of his job the past year was to put on pounds. He's now close to seeing 185 on the scale, putting him in the same weight class as fellow second-year wideouts, Seattle's Tyler Lockett and Indianapolis' Phillip Dorsett.
It's not like Byrd is suddenly a beast, but he showed off his added muscle when outbattling cornerbacks at minicamp. Most importantly, the weight didn't appear to affect his elite speed.
"He's going to be someone to reckon with," says receivers coach Ricky Proehl.
That could just be coachspeak, of course. But Proehl doesn't tend to wax poetic when it's not warranted. Besides telling Byrd he needed to bulk up, Proehl preached about attacking the ball better.
On Friday and Saturday, at least, Byrd did.
"It's crazy what a difference one year makes," he says. "Being out here for a second year, it really kind of puts the veteran role on us."
It's strange to think of a player who's never played in a regular-season game as a veteran, yet there Byrd was at the front of every receiver drill. A guy like Keyarris Garrett, last year's NCAA's leader in receiving yards, had the greater intrigue and asix-inch advantage, but his place was behind Byrd.
"He assumed a leadership role out here, which was really neat to see," Rivera says. "Very rarely do you see a wide receiver step up like that, but he did a nice job."
While this weekend was a boost for Byrd, he's still on the outside looking in for a spot on the Panthers' 53-man roster. He'll head into OTAs behind Kelvin Benjamin, Devin Funchess, Ted Ginn Jr. and Philly Brown. With Brenton Bersin, Stephen Hill, Kevin Norwood and Garrett also in the mix, the numbers aren't in Byrd's favor.
"If you get caught up in the numbers game, it's never gonna go in your favor," he counters. "You never know what's going to happen. You never know how the numbers will shift. You never know how many we're going to take into the season.
"If you just worry about playing the game and playing well, then they can't deny it."
Fair point.
OTAs, minicamp, training camp and three and a half months remain before the Panthers decide on their final 53. Plenty can happen before then, including Byrd possibly playing his way into bigger plans than most had previously assumed.
"His speed and quickness, his confidence coming back another year with the development that he had last year and where he is now, he's a totally different player," says Proehl.
"He's going to make some noise this offseason."
Can he play cornerback? 🙂
If he did I’d think it would be in the slot. That’d be a huge leap for him to make, but with that speed there isn’t a RB in the league he couldn’t chase down.
I was attempting humor, but to your point, you can’t coach natural speed, and he has it.
I counted yesterday, and on the 90-man roster, counting FB/RB and Joe Webb, there are 28 eligible receivers on the roster right now. Much fewer CBs.
Well I do know this Byrd has Competition at his level in Miles Shuler. They both use to run track and are lighting fast. Both competed in high school. Byrd ran the 100 meters in 10.36 and Shuler ran it in 10.39.
Now Gettleman is thinking down the road. Just a quick glimpse of what could be. Byrd and Shuler back on kickoffs witth that kind of speed, but what if they make it as WR’s. These are 2 ot he top fastest guys in the NFL.
Now add Cam Newton’s MVP Arm which is a loaded Cannon. If these 2 could catch over the shoulder I hate to say it.but Ginn and Brown are gone.
Set abck at 2015 preseason and you can see the drop passes by both Ginn and Byrd. Those were over the shoulder in stride. Proehl catch it and had them run slant routes. Brown turns all the back to catch a deep pass and falls and slides on his back. Brown was more effective on come back routes. In other words it limits the offenses passing game and I have to admit they did a great job covering it up.
no way ginn and brown are gone . they are basically a lock . ginn had a 10 td year and is a solid # 2 for us and philly brown is getting better each year and hes most likely going to blow up this year . i think we are keeping 1 more wr. its going to be big competition in camp it will come down to norwood , hill , bersin , byrd and garrett
Yep Ginn had 10 TD’s 31 years old and 10 drops. At some point you have to cut the veterans in order to continue to develop the younger talent and get them reps or like Gettleman’s states he is not in the business to develop players for other teams.
There is 14 WR’s on the roster some are bigger and faster than Ginn. I’m glad Ginn what he did and Cotchery did the same thing for the Steelers when they cut him. Cotchery had a 10 TD season.
Joe it’s business and Gettleman has built this team to be next man up. I bet WR Stephen Hill will be a lock after investing 2 years in him, and trading for Norwood. Believe it or not Devin Funchess is the slowest of all the WR’s and TE’s at a 4.70-40 ran it exactly he same twice at the combine.
Laron Byrd 6’4 220 lbs. is the same size as Keyarris Garrett 6’4 220 lbs. Garret 4.53-40 and Byrd is 4.45-40. Byrd is 26, KB & Hill 25.
Now Damiere Byrd and Shuler are your smoking guns with lighting speed. Both can catch over their shoulders. That’s a repeat I posted earlier. But I really encourage you to go back and watch Ginn and Browns high lights. Yards after catches came on slant routes.
I emailed someone in the front office about it. Can’t say who. Speed is great, but if you can’t catch over the shoulder in stride defenses will pick it up and Falcons HC Dan Quinn did and so did Wade Philips. Made Cam hold the ball longer and it make RT Mike Remmers look bad and Cam eat the dirt.
Point Being changes were made and John Matsko is Run Game Coordinator for blocking schemes. So if you know this about Ginn and Brown ahead of time and the return of KB and possibly others you make changes and that’s why there are 14 WR’s in camp.
That’s why there are 5 or 6 TE’s in camp and 7 RB’s. changes are coming and when June 1 rolls around we could see some cuts. Just because we sign someone to an extension doesn’t mean we keep them. Though Hills first practice back and he didn’t have any drops I’m leaning he is a keeper.