CHARLOTTE— The Carolina Panthers seven-man rookie draft class has experienced a whirlwind over the past month. Since NFL draft weekend, rookies have moved to Charlotte, gone through rookie minicamp and OTAs, mandatory minicamp, and have now returned to the Queen City for training camp.

As the rookie draft class works through their first offseason, each will take time to reflect on their journey to this point and their time in the league thus far. Three rookies took us along through OTAs and mandatory minicamp, and now the rest of the class will take us along through training camp.

Next up is defensive back Chau Smith-Wade. The Washington State alum was drafted by the Panthers in the fifth round (No. 157 overall).

"My family, we booked an AirB&B, a nice AirB&B house in Colorado. I had a whole lot of family come out, a whole lot of coaches from my youth, times when I played for my youth team. Friends came out, everybody cooked. It was kind of like a barbecue type setting, like a family reunion type setting and we came out, we had fun and day one I obviously wasn't drafted. So, everyone came out and it kind of was just a celebration.

"Then day three, I got that call, and it was one of those days where everybody was locked in on the TV, because we knew that was the day I was going to get drafted.

"And we were sitting on the couch, sitting next to my mom, sitting next to all of my siblings, sitting next to my dad and grandma. We were kind of just waiting on that call. And as soon as I got that call from coach, I mean, Mr. Dave, I got the call from Mr. Tepper and as soon as I got the call, I noticed the, the area code. So, I saw the number, the number wasn't saved in my phone. So, I knew right off that that was the team that was going to draft me.

"I was talking to (Coach Canales) and he asked me if I was ready to be a Panther. And I said, yeah, let's do it."

In the pre-draft process, potential draftees will typically talk to at least half the teams, some multiple times. That was the case with Smith-Wade and the Panthers, even if the DB was unsure of the results.

"I was talking to a Panthers scout during Senior Bowl, during the NFL Combine and we talked a lot. We talked about my personal background and things of that nature. Would I be able to play nickel, just my plays on the field and what was I thinking during certain plays and stuff like that.

"I at the Senior Bowl, I actually believe that the Panthers, when I did my interview with the Panthers, I believe it was the worst interview that I did. Because when I was talking to them, I kind of was stuttering a little bit and I don't know why, but I was kind of nervous. When I was talking to all the other 31 teams, I wasn't as nervous.

"I was saying my personal background, and I don't know why I just felt so nervous talking to them. And just happened to be the team. Maybe just knew it was the most important one."

Following the draft, players are sent the playbook relatively early. Whether diving into the nitty-gritty or looking at the big picture, every player has a different approach to how they learn the playbook initially. For Smith-Wade, the big picture was important. When it came time to get down to the details, he had two positions to focus on; corner and nickel.

"I got the playbook as soon as the third day after being drafted. They sent my iPad down and I was going through the playbook, seeing different things

"The first thing I did, I wanted to make sure I got the basics down. Just the mindset of the Panthers. I wanted to live in blue and white. I wanted to live in blue and black. So I went to the basics; the mantra of what it is to be a Panther.

"And then I went to the defensive unit mantra, the basics of that, getting down the fundamentals of formations, getting down the fundamentals of play calls. So that was kind of just my thing.

"I didn't know if I was going to play nickel or corner when I got here, which is kind of ironic. I ended up playing both. So, I was learning both nickel and corner.

"I'm so much closer to the ball at nickel. I'm probably getting more action at nickel just because I'm either in the run fit or guarding a receiver. I can't say if I feel comfortable either/or; I kind of feel comfortable.

"I started out playing nickel first, so I was getting the majority of my reps at nickel and then I ended up transitioning to corner. I played corner in college, but I think when you go from nickel to corner, it's easier to play corner. There's a whole lot of space at nickel. So, when you go to corner, you have the sideline, so now you're kind of just playing it outside."

When Smith-Wade arrived in Charlotte back in May, he had to adjust to the NFL, his new city and one very specific factor that took more getting used to than Smith-Wade accounted for originally.

"For me, it wasn't more so getting used to the NFL. I've kind of always had a mindset that I was going to get to the NFL, so I knew what it took already. For me, it was more so letting the technique translate to the field.

"The area that I'm coming from (living in) Colorado and (playing at) Washington State, the elevation is higher. So, it was more so climate, dealing with the humidity. That's what it was for me, making sure I'm hydrated. When I first got up here for rookie minicamp, for OTAs, I kind of suffered a hamstring strain, just because my body felt so heavy. I was heating up fast. Pre-draft period, I was stretching, but I just feel like my body needed to be in the heaviness of the air.

"I'm used to it now. I'm on top of my body as far as nutrition, being able to come out here and stay hydrated. Those are the things I'm kind of focusing on more so, leading into training camp, leading into preseason, just making sure I'm hydrated and knowing my body."

Every player has one "Welcome to the NFL" moment. Whether it be a tackle, a catch or a first paycheck. Smith-Wade's came courtesy of a veteran receiver. The challenge and competition has become more natural as the offseason wore on, and now in training camp, the rookie is having the time of his life.

"My welcome to the NFL moment was at OTAs, I was guarding Adam Thielen. He ran a pretty cool route. It was like a double and that had to have been my welcome to the NFL moment."

"It's fun actually, that's the word I would use to describe it. Just watching the guys fly around, being around a lot of superstars in my room. Just taking things from them, taking tips from them and watching them; seeing how they fall, how they tend to take care of their bodies, how they tend to move along in this training camp process. So, it's been fun."