A s the first three players strolled up the path to the Panthers’ practice field Wednesday, a few reporters and cameramen looked down at their rosters.

Numbers 15, 12 and 10. Who are they again?

If folks who cover the team are still not familiar with Marvin McNutt, Tavarres King and De’Andre Presley, it’s no surprise fans, and most outside the Carolina’s are still wondering which receivers Cam Newton is going to throw to in 2014.

Sure, the Panthers brought in a familiar name when they drafted Kelvin Benjamin last month, but as promised, the lesser known guys — including Brenton Bersin — are getting chances they never had previously.

“One of the things that we’ve tried to make sure is that everybody is getting a lot of reps right now,” head coach Ron Rivera said after Wednesday’s OTA session. “When we get to training camp, we want to make sure everybody is up to speed. We made an emphasis that we’re rotating a lot of players as much as possible. Wide receiver is one of those positions.”

The philosophy sounds logical, but it’s also understandable why many are skeptical.

McNutt and King have combined for zero regular-season receptions. Presley is a former Appalachian State quarterback, turned receiver. Cue the Armanti Edwards jokes.

But the Panthers remain legitimately intrigued by all three, including Presley’s potential in the slot. His was the first name mentioned by Rivera when he was asked which players have stood out the last week.

Of course, Rivera said nice things about Edwards as well. But Presley seems different.

Edwards could make some fine catches during practice, but he rarely wowed. Presley is intriguingly shifty. On more than one occasion the last couple weeks, he seemed to come out of nowhere, with defenders chasing.

“The toughest thing is knowing when to transition to being full speed and when not to be full speed,” Presley, who spent his first two years in the league as a defensive back, said. “I’ve been taught to go 100 miles an hour. I’ve trained myself to go 100 miles an hour. Now I’m learning when to go 100 miles an hour and when to dial back.”

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MORE PICTURES AND ANALYSIS FROM WEDNESDAY’S PRACTICE

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Since he was with the Giants when they discovered the unknown Victor Cruz, it’s worth giving Dave Gettleman some time to try and do it again. The Panthers’ general manager is a big believer in a team’s need to develop its own talent, and the only way to do that is to give young players reps. Hence his willingness to revamp the not-all-that-scary-anyway receiving corps.

As part of the makeover, Gettleman brought in veterans Jerricho Cotchery, Jason Avant and Tiquan Underwood. The Panthers know what they can do. They likely have number-three receiver ceilings. No one truly knows what the others can or can’t do.

In the two OTA sessions the media has been allowed to watch, it’s been nearly impossible to separate anyone in the group by reps. It’s clear the plan is to give everyone a fair shot. Receiver’s coach Ricky Proehl wants the staff to be forced into tough decisions when the time comes. So for now, everyone is in a big pile and eventually, the cream of this crop will rise to the top.

Maybe it won’t be all that appealing, as many suspect. Presley could be Armanti, Part II. Or maybe there is a Cruz-like gem in there somewhere.

The only certainty is it’s still too early to know, even if it’s sometimes hard to remember which names match which numbers.

“There are guys that are catching your eye. The hard thing, and the thing we have to be realistic about is we’re only in shorts and helmets,” Rivera said. “Once we get into pads is when you really get a feel of what they’re capable of.”

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