Panthers' Rookies Spoke Their Potential Unity Into Existence at the Senior Bowl

Two Panthers' rookies bonded at the Senior Bowl and were determined to team up together in the NFL.

NFL Draft prospects tend to bond throughout the numerous pre-draft events spanning from the Senior Bowl to the NFL Combine that lead up to April's draft. The nation’s top talents are all united in one space competing to catch the eyes of NFL scouts, coaches, and front office personnel. The athletes inevitably form relationships throughout the process.

Notre Dame’s Troy Pride Jr. and Southern Illinois’ Jeremy Chinn represented the North Team at the Senior Bowl on April 3rd, instantly forming a bond. This led Pride Jr. to send Chinn an intriguing Instagram DM in which he proposed that the two should team up at the next level. Coincidentally, three weeks later, the Carolina Panthers drafted both defensive backs in the second and fourth rounds of the NFL Draft, speaking their potential unity into existence.

The connection that the two rookies will have day one is mightily helpful on the Panthers' end as they have completely reconstructed their entire defense, losing the majority of their starters from 2019 to free agency and retirement, in Luke Kuechly's case. The Panthers new defensive personnel will need to quickly develop chemistry with one another - especially in the secondary as that's the team's most vulnerable area - and Pride Jr. and Chinn are already a step ahead in that regard and will only continue to strengthen that relationship. 

The Panthers are building their defense organically through the draft in hopes not to have a supreme defense in the next 12 months, but for the next 12 years, according to head coach Matt Rhule. Troy Pride Jr. and Jeremy Chinn are valuable core pieces for the Panthers' defense and will hopefully develop into high-level impact players for many years to come in Carolina. 

How great is it that two of the Panthers' rookies already have a close bond? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below and discuss it with fellow Panther fans!

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