CHARLOTTE — For most of the Panthers rookies, 12 weeks of football was an entire college season. Of course, their rookie head coach has been living the NFL life, so he knows there are another six weeks of games before they can break, but this moment is always a bit of a hill for the rookies to climb.

And as this group has climbed it together — players and their first-year coach alike — they're starting to learn some things about each other.

"I would say just a group that's really into it: Engaged, focused, taking coaching," head coach Dave Canales said. "This is a group of guys that they understand; the rookie coach comes in with this rookie class, it means something, you know. This is important for all of us as we build this team and we become us — it's capturing that play style.

"And so, I put myself right in that group with those guys, and we all take pride in building something and connecting with everybody, and those guys have made the most of their opportunities, which is what I'm really proud of."

Panthers general manager Dan Morgan knows a little something about that, too. He was a part of back-to-back draft classes here in 2001 and 2002 that helped reshape the franchise and set the course from 1-15 to the Super Bowl in two seasons. And from his days of bonding with guys like Kris Jenkins and Steve Smith, along with Julius Peppers, DeShaun Foster, and Will Witherspoon, he knows what it can mean because he's seen it.

"I think you always take pride in your classmates, and a draft class is just like a recruiting class," Morgan said. "You take pride that you're the class that kind of brings it back, or that starts like the culture change and the winning. So I feel like our guys kind of feel that way.

"And I think that we've kind of seen the template in the past, of what it can look like when you string a couple of good draft classes together, some free agent classes together. It can turn pretty quick — a lot quicker than what people think."

So, as they look at this group they assembled this spring, they see not only the current production but the long-term potential to be part of something.

First-rounder Xavier Legette already has four touchdowns (and a signature celebration), showing signs of becoming the big-play target they needed. Second-rounder Jonathon Brooks played his first game last week (they knew he was a longer-term project after last year's torn ACL), but they're hoping he becomes part of a signature run game here. Third-round linebacker Trevin Wallace had to play much more than expected because of injuries but has responded well, tied for fourth on the team in tackles, with two forced fumbles and a recovery. Fourth-round tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders is second among rookie tight ends in catches and yards. Fifth-round cornerback Chau Smith-Wade has shown some versatility and special teams ability while playing in a deep group, and sixth-round defensive tackle Jaden Crumedy is waiting to make his debut after coming off a preseason injury. They also traded seventh-rounder Michael Barrett to the Seahawks for cornerback Mike Jackson, who has started every game and is second on the team in passes defensed and tied for fourth in tackles with Wallace — so that's a great use of a seventh-round pick.

"I think they're all making progress," Morgan said of the group.

There have been some challenges, like the training camp injuries that slowed Legette in August, and Brooks' pre-existing condition. But by the same token, injuries to veterans Shaq Thompson and Josey Jewell and Tommy Tremble and Ian Thomas at their positions pushed Wallace and Sanders into more snaps than they would have ordinarily gotten, accelerating their learning curves.

"That's huge," Canales said. "All these guys, they got a bunch of exposure in camp which does pay dividends along the road."

Wallace, who never played more than 12 games in a season at Kentucky, acknowledged that adjusting to the physical demands is different.

"You know, in college, you play 12 games, so it's like now I've got to get my mind right on knowing that I got more games prepared for," the rookie linebacker said. "So that's just like another step is starting to get over when you think about it. I think we're all like that. Like, dang, we played 12 games; we've got to get our minds and our body right."

But to their credit, they've done it so far, with the rookies who have played showing signs of improving rather than tailing off at this time of the year. That's what Morgan was looking for during draft evaluations, as much as their on-field play.

"When we talk about a dog, it's not always just like the aggressive toughness part, but it's also the mental toughness," Morgan said. "Like Brooks, he has to come in and stay healthy and keep his body right. Like Xavier, the way he prepares every day and takes care of his body. Wallace, Ja'Tavion, these are two rookies that have played a lot of snaps. If you go back to training camp, guys got hurt at their positions, and they were like the only ones out there practicing. They're just mentally strong guys. They're just all tough, mentally strong guys that you see their work on a day-to-day basis."

While the draft picks tend to get the most attention, they're not the only rookies making an impact here.

Undrafted wide receiver Jalen Coker has topped that list, sliding into a starting role because of injuries and contributing 17 catches for 263 yards and a touchdown. Undrafted safety Demani Richardson, one of the standouts of training camp who was always around turnovers, was forced into the starting lineup for two games at a position of responsibility and didn't look out of place. They also have waiver-claims Shemar Bartholomew and Jarrett Kingston who have suited up and played, and even practice squad quarterback Jack Plummer got a helmet as Bryce Young's backup in Denver when Andy Dalton was injured.

That's a significant amount of production and contribution for a bunch of rookies, which the Panthers need as they shifted gears into a new administration this year.

But as former first-round linebacker Morgan knows, rookie classes are defined by what happens at the top. And even though it was a one-spot trade-up, there's a certain perception that changes when you're a first-round pick.

For Legette, that spotlight shines on his achievements (and the Dolla Bill dance that's already delighting fans) and his struggles. He admitted there's a physical strain that comes with the next six weeks but said, "I ain't gonna lie to you. I really hit a reset button on the bye week, and that did me some good."

He's also had the benefit of leaning on veteran wideout Adam Thielen, and said that's been beneficial to his growth.

"I mean, I like for him to talk about more of the bad than the good," Legette said. "I like to grow from my negatives. I mean, the positives, we could still build on those as well, but I like to build on the negatives more, right?"

He's worked with Thielen on his releases at the line of scrimmage — "being patient for real," he said — and the finer points of route-running. And that part has improved, particularly the way he's learning to use his hands to get off the press and into his routes. But as he enters the final third of his first season, he also wants to improve one of the big noticeable things about his game — some recent drops.

"I'll say I've been playing OK, but I say I haven't really put a whole full game together yet," Legette said. "Just the dropped passes, man, that's mainly my focus. I haven't been having a drop every game, but that's what it's been seeming like, man. I need to clean that up.

"You know the touchdowns, that's what I'm supposed to do. The drops is something that I ain't supposed to do, man. They brought me here to catch the ball. Feel like I've been doing a pretty good job, man, but I left some out there, I still got to clean up."

Thielen comes at it from the perspective of an undrafted guy who had to fight for his 11 years in the league, so he's different than Legette (in a lot of ways). But he said the rookie is showing steady progress.

"I think he loves the game, so that's usually a lot easier for guys who really truly love the game and don't just do it for success or money or contracts or whatever," Thielen said. "I think he truly does love the game, and I know that because of the questions he asks and the communication that he has with me throughout games and practices. So that's a really cool thing, and it's going to help him.

"I think he's starting to trust the system and trust the information that he's getting. I think I think as he starts to do that, he starts to have more success. The more detailed and locked in he gets, I think he's doing a great job handling everything, and it's tough when you're losing. It's just a whole different deal. It was good to get a couple of wins and say some of the hard work you're putting in, the details you're putting in are paying off."

That's true for Legette, and the rest of this class of rookies as well.

And they have six more games to continue those educations, together.