You’d think a guy weighing 320 pounds would do whatever he could to keep cool as the calendar inches toward summer. Especially someone who wears pads and a helmet in the middle of the day. But while temperatures rise, Star Lotulelei’s beard grows.“I just got lazy. It’s hard to shave, so I thought I might as well let it grow out,” the Carolina Panthers’ defensive tackle explained after an OTA practice this week. “I’ll let it go for a while and see if it will last during camp, if it gets too hot or not.”Ah, yes, Camp Spartanburg is coming. A hot and humid-rific time that can make OTAs in Charlotte feel like a cool breeze coming off the ocean. That’s when Lotulelei’s facial hair, which hasn’t been trimmed since late last season, will face it’s most uncomfortable test.But the 14th overall pick of the 2013 draft has a history of doing different things with his hair. The business on his face is new compared to the party he’s still growing in the back. Last summer, Lotulelei started a rat tail contest with his younger brother, Lowell. Big brother won easily.“His stopped growing. He doesn’t have as nice hair as me, so he had to start over,” the family’s rat tail champion proclaimed.While the eye is drawn to what’s going on around his face and neck, it’s easy to forget about Lotulelei’s foot.Five months ago, as the Panthers were preparing for their Divisional Playoff game with the Seahawks, he suffered a freak fracture after stepping on a teammates’ foot. He had surgery the next morning, a day before he was supposed to be on a plane to Seattle.”Missing the playoffs, missing the Seattle game, it was tough,” Lotulelei recalled. “It was tough having to sit back and watch it, not being there with the guys.“As his teammates kept the score close, Lotulelei watched the first half with his cousins at Cowfish, a ‘sushi burger’ restaurant in Charlotte. They left at halftime and “came back home for the bad news.”Before last season, Lotulelei made 16 starts as a rookie and played in every game during his four years at Utah. The Seattle game marked his third DNP of 2014, and it accentuated a sophomore season to forget.After a slow start, a badly sprained ankle against the Eagles in Week 10 cost him two games. Judging defensive tackles by stats alone often leaves an incomplete picture, but as Lotulelei’s numbers remained low, so did his overall influence in the middle of the line. He wasn’t the same force that totaled 42 tackles and three sacks as a rookie.

Heading into the de-facto NFC South title game in Atlanta, Lotulelei was stuck on zero sacks and had just 19 tackles. But then, Star played like one again. He sacked Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan twice and added seven tackles. In his 13 previous games, he never had more than three tackles.The next week, Lotulelei made four tackles and helped the Panthers’ defense set an NFL postseason record by holding the Cardinals to 77 total yards. Three days later, he fractured his foot. Lotulelei was cleared to start running again in April when Carolina opened up its offseason program. And throughout OTAs, he’s been in his starting spot next to fellow 2013 draftee Kawann Short.“(Lotulelei’s) still trending up. Last year he struggled a little bit, the injury was the biggest thing at the end of the year — and during the year, for the most part. But he really is trending up,” coach Ron Rivera said. “He and KK are really developing a great rapport with one another.”As he made clear when he first came to Carolina, Lotulelei isn’t fond of the spotlight. His funky follicles reveal more of a personality than he usually shows with words. But whether it’s because of his disappointing 2014 or the offseason availability of the energetic Cam Newton, Lotulelei seems to be enjoying the moment — as sweat-soaked as it may be.“It’s a whole other feel than it was last year. I don’t know if it has anything to do with Cam being back, but everyone’s having fun,” Lotulelei said.“Being out here, running around, being with the guys again, it feels good.”