CHARLOTTE — The Panthers have their first week of OTAs in the books after wrapping up Friday's practice.

And while there's always a danger in drawing too many conclusions from three unpadded practices in May, there are a few trends emerging, some of which could be particularly helpful as the Panthers move forward.

They've got a lot of new faces out there on the field after a busy free agency and a productive draft, so they're looking at a lot of new combinations as they try to build on last year.

So here's a look at five things we've learned so far during OTAs:

Expanding depth, young defensive backs making plays

When you see Chau Smith-Wade and Demani Richardson making interceptions in practice, as they did this week, it's a promising sign.

Not just for the players themselves, as they work to secure positions on the roster, but for the team as a whole.

The Panthers lacked depth in general last year, but particularly on defense, so seeing a couple of second-year defensive backs making plays on the ball was notable.

Smith-Wade was a fifth-rounder last year who ended up playing a lot of nickel, and Richardson hung around as an undrafted rookie and started five games at safety.

But after being thrown into the deep end of the pool a year ago, they have a firmer base now. Instead of trying to learn how an NFL practice works, they're learning small things about the defense, which has multiple benefits.

After they make plays, offensive coaches can pick their brains about what they saw, and now that Smith-Wade and Richardson have a better grasp of what they're looking at, they can offer helpful feedback.

"This is really cool because, from the first time we got Chau out here, and this is speaking about Demani Richardson as well. From rookie minicamp for an entire year, they have been so conscientious about their preparation, their body readiness, all these things. They're the first guys on the field; they're rolling things out, and they're kind of working on their technique and getting their bodies ready. They're the last guys off the field catching Jugs (machine).

"And all of that hard work is paying off for Chau because he's finding himself in the right positions, the right situations. When the huddle breaks, he's talking, and he's just really into it. He loves football those are the kind of guys that we love bringing in here."

TMac is involved early and often

OTAs can be an interesting time for rookies. Many want to jump in feet first, willing to sink or swim if it means getting extra reps. But coaches will temper expectations by rotating reps and reminding them they have been in the building less than a month. But in the case of receiver Tetairoa McMillan, the rookie seems to be on an accelerated track.

The No. 8 overall pick is involved early and often in practice. Albeit, there have only been three of those full-speed practices till now, but in each one, we've seen McMillan folded in to the passing game more and more. Quarterback Bryce Young spreads the ball around, with McMillan becoming both a downfield target and a quick out. The Arizona product positions himself around the field, letting his frame take over regardless the defender.

Possibly the biggest thing to jump out about McMillan in person is his smooth ability to catch with his hands, not his body. It was part of his scouting report, but up close, you can really appreciate how he makes tough catches look easy. It's because he's not bobbling the ball, adding any extra layers of difficulty.

There was one catch in particular that stands out, when Young looked off a defender and sent a rainbow down the left sideline. It was a great throw by the quarterback, dropping it in over his receivers tall frame. But the rookie McMillan did his part as well, getting in front of a veteran corner in Mike Jackson, and bringing in the catch in stride.

Injury absence of Tommy Tremble creates opportunities for others

There's always a silver lining somewhere, even in situations that aren't ideal.

So, with this week's news that Tommy Tremble was going to miss some time after back surgery, there are more reps for second-year tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders and rookie Mitchell Evans.

Sanders got that same treatment last year when Tremble and Ian Thomas missed a lot of training camp with injuries, and now Evans is going to get a lot of reps he wouldn't have otherwise gotten.

Evans is a comfortable mover on the field and made a couple of impressive catches in these practices.

The best news is that Tremble is back in the building and in good spirits after the procedure.

He joked that the thing he's struggling with the most now is guilt since he and his wife just welcomed their first child to the world, and he's not supposed to be lifting things, even as heavy as a baby for a few weeks. But he has a good support system around him and is scheduled to begin his rehab work later this summer, with an eye toward the regular season.

In the meantime, Sanders and Evans will get a lot of work that they need.

Competition has been raised

Canales and Dan Morgan often talk about wanting to raise competition across the board. It was their approach in free agency, the draft, and now in practice.

In addition to adding talent to force more competition, Canales ended rookie minicamp and voluntary workouts each day with a competition period, simply having offense and defense face off in whatever activity was planned for the day. Players say that's become the case in so many aspects of the day, with little competition periods infused in even mundane things.

This has shown up on the field. Earlier in the week, after several successful plays, McMillan drew an assignment against Jaycee Horn. Bryce Young zipped the ball towards McMillan. Horn broke up the pass, letting TMac know why he was a Pro Bowl corner. After some necessary celebrating on Horn's part, the duo jogged back to the line laughing.

"That's we make us better," Canales said. "By bringing our best every day."

Tre'von Moehrig making his presence felt

When the Panthers targeted safety Tre'von Moehrig in free agency, they knew he could bring a lot of flexibility to this defense. They even saw it up close in Week 3 of the 2024 season when facing Moehrig's former team, the Raiders.

"He's a lot to handle from a receiver standpoint and tight end standpoint if you're trying to block him, so he's very versatile," Canales said. "It's why we wanted him. We made a point to get him here because he can open up parts of our defense that we're excited about."

Now, they're seeing it up close in practice. Moehrig has made a habit of being around the ball this week, including a play to cap the first phase of OTAs. As Young sent a long one down the sideline, Moehrig worked off the receiver he was covering, then turned on the jets to get there in time and become a pass-catcher himself, pulling in the pick that sent the defense into a frenzy.

"There's a couple things we can do with him," Canales said. "I don't want to get into the specifics of it, but he's such a good blitzer. He can play in the back half … it's why we targeted him."