When asked which players particularly stood out to him during the 2015 season, strength and conditioning coach Joe Kenn, recently named NFL Strength Coach of the Year, offered three names.
The first was linebacker Shaq Thompson, Carolina’s first-round pick in the 2015 draft.
"Shaq Thompson really excelled in the weight room," Kenn said. "Very, very proud. Shaq has a lot of the traits you want. An exceptional worker."
Thompson was playing catch-up after missing a large part of the offseason program to finish his coursework at the University of Washington. But when he returned, he quickly made his mark.