The Facts: On Thursday, for the first time since rookie minicamp, McCaffrey participated in Panthers practice. According to the Panthers' site, McCaffrey was thrown right into the fire, working out on kick coverage, participating as the fifth option in running back drills and even running plays out of the wildcat. The eighth overall pick said he was comfortable playing all over the field. "The more ways you can be dynamic the better -- for the coaches, for me and for the team," McCaffrey said. "Whatever they ask me to do I'll do. I hope I'm used in a lot of ways, but that's not up to me."

Diehards Line: McCaffrey is expected to make an immediate impact in a variety of roles: third-down back, slot pass-catcher, return man, end-around decoy. Carolina's confidence in his ability to excel in each of those capacities was evident in how they used him Thursday in his first day back from his undesired hiatus. Carolina's first-round pick had been restricted by a rule from participating in organized team activities and the first two days of minicamp until his school year at Stanford, which operates on the quarter system, had ended. One day after the conclusion of classes Wednesday, McCaffrey made his debut in Charlotte and sounded relieved to finally get back on the field. "It sucks whenever your team is competing and you're not," McCaffrey told reporters, per the team's website. "But you've got to follow the system, and I'm glad to be here now."