Carolina Panthers sign first-round pick Kelvin Benjamin

After basically depleting their entire wide receiver depth chart this offseason, the Carolina Panthers needed some serious help at the position.

More from Carolina Panthers

• NFL rumors: Eagles RB1 hint, Bryce Young shows out, C.J. Stroud slow play
• NFL Power Rankings: Who is the best quarterback in each division?
• Carolina Panthers RB has a truly wild Andy Dalton take
• NFL Power Rankings: Which teams will have the best rushing attacks this season?
• Bryce Young has one fiery obstacle in the way of his starting job

With one of the best young quarterbacks in the game in Cam Newton, you want to make sure that he has some viable weapons to get the ball to, and they addressed that in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft last month with the selection of Florida State wideout Kelvin Benjamin.

On Wednesday, the team announced that they had signed their new target to his rookie contract.

It took a while for Benjamin to progress when he was at Florida State in the three years that he was on campus, but last season he kicked it into an entirely new gear.

In helping lead the Seminoles to their first national championship since the 1999 season, Benjamin amassed 1,011 yards with 15 touchdowns, quickly becoming the main go-to guy for Heisman-winning quarterback Jameis Winston. At 6-5 and 240-pounds, Benjamin grew into his own and became one of the more unstoppable receiving forces in all of college football, just ask the Florida Gators.

Now of course he won’t be able to perform feats like that in the NFL right off the bat, but you have to imagine that Newton and the team love the thought of where this young man can head with some future development the next couple of years.

Following the national title win over Auburn, his redshirt sophomore year, Benjamin opted to head off into the Draft after being advised by many that he was a sure first-round pick, which he ended up being by the Panthers at no. 28 overall.