National Football League

Panthers see both Thompson and Funchess leave rookie minicamp early

Published May. 11, 2015 12:47 p.m. ET

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After just one day of rookie minicamp action, the Carolina Panthers had seen both of their first two picks forced from the action early.

According to David Newton of ESPN, both first-round pick Shaq Thompson and second-round selection Devin Funchess had to leave at different points during the opening day.

Newton pointed out that Thompson was forced to leave due to a "tweaked hamstring early in the afternoon session." He went on to explain that Funchess was lost due to cramping out "late in the session."

Thompson ended up missing the second day of the minicamp as well due to the injury, according to Newton, something that he states could be significant in many ways. The reasoning is because Thompson "won’t return for the remainder of organized team activities until a June 16 minicamp because Washington is on a quarter system."

Obviously you'd love to see the rookies get in as much work as possible to get up to speed, but there was no reason for Thompson to push it and play on the second day. Doing so could have potentially risked further injury and set him back more than just a day of work in the offseason minicamp.

(h/t ESPN)

Photo Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports