One of the key ingredients for a less-than-dominant team to make a run to the playoffs is to have a number of young players contribute. Rookies and guys who had trouble catching on elsewhere can often fill leaky holes that had been a problem for most of the season.

As they make a final postseason push, the Panthers are fortunate to have a few of those pieces. Let’s look at three, starting with two on the ride side of the offensive line.

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Converted defensive tackle Nate Chandler struggled during his time at right tackle this season. After he went on injured reserve with a knee injury last month, his replacement has turned into one of the best stories of the season.

25-year-old Mike Remmers has been surprisingly solid, and next to him, rookie guard Trai Turner has settled in nicely. The third-rounder struggled with injuries earlier this year, and it helps that he’s no longer rotating with Fernando Velasco.

In this example from last week’s win over the Bucs, Remmers (74) and Turner (70) give quarterback Derek Anderson excellent protection:

Remmers and Turner both win their respective battles, but they take different roads to get there.

They each come out of their stance with good posture. Neither bends at the waist, and they’re in a rigid, upright position. They’re then ready to absorb a blow from the incoming rushers or dish out some punishment.

Remmers takes the latter route, while Turner goes with the former:

The right tackle extends his arms and latches on with his defender. Remmers has displayed excellent reach and upper body strength in his three starts with Carolina. When he gets his hands on defensive ends, the battle is essentially over before it begins.

Meanwhile, Turner is knocked back a bit. His arms temporarily swing down to his side, but he’s able to recover quickly:

While Remmers is locked on to his man, Turner works to catch up. This play encapsulates what he does best – playing fast with controlled violence. When he was at LSU, Turner was able to execute aggressive blocks in a matter of seconds, especially when isolated in space. He has great short-area explosion for such a big man:

It’s not always wise for an offensive lineman to load his punch as Turner did to an extent here. But he plays with such speed it often doesn’t matter. Turner takes almost no time to bring his arms back up and punch the defender in his pads. Now the advantage is back with the blocker:

As Anderson fires a completion downfield to receiver Kelvin Benjamin, Turner and Remmers are driving their men up field. They’ve won their duel in the trenches, and they’ve done so with impressive technique and physicality.

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Another rookie who has taken a big leap is fifth-round cornerback Bené Benwikere. After the season opener, we broke down how well Benwikere played in his NFL debut. But he ended up missing six games after suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 5.

Benwikere returned to the lineup three weeks ago, and since then, he’s helped stabilize secondary. Most impressively, his transition from nickel back to outside corner the last two games has gone very well.

The San Jose State product has been displaying veteran-like ability, which we can see in this example from last Sunday.

Benwikere is in deep, off man coverage across from Bucs receiver Vincent Jackson. There is plenty of space between the defender and wideout, and Benwikere’s eyes are squarely on quarterback Josh McCown. It’s also worth noting that won’t receiving any safety help. Fellow rookie Tre Boston will head infield to defend the deep middle:

When playing this type of coverage, the cornerback has to be disciplined and ready to react. He must read the quarterback’s eyes while feeling out where the receiver intends to take his route.

Benewikere is in a perfect position as McCown begins to throw. Jackson looks like he’s running an out, but he could take the route vertical. If he does go downfield, Benewikere would be able to drop back with him. But if Jackson heads to the sideline, Benwikere can break on the ball:

Benwikere sees the ball leave McCown’s hand, and identifies the pass as an out route. He’s able to click and close with excellent quickness and gets right into Jackson’s hip pocket:

Benwikere jumps in front of Jackson right as the pass arrives. It’s a great, athletic play to knock the ball out of the air and away from the receiver:

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The Panthers are truly fortunate to be getting such strong play from their younger players at this crucial stage of the season. The strong play of guys like Remmers, Turner, and Benwikere have helped keep their playoff hopes alive. And those three aren’t just essential right now. They could very well be nice building blocks for the future.

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