CHARLOTTE — Nick Scott likens it to a nekton.

As with most conversations led by Nick Scott, a lesson is involved, since the cerebral safety rarely relies on knowledge readily known by the general public.

"Ok," he nodded, realizing, as usual, he'd have to explain the deeper meaning of what he was saying. "A nekton is an aquatic species: sharks, dolphins, some whales, and things that swim free of the current. They're unaffected by their surroundings. So if the currents are going, they can swim wherever they want."

The Panthers' rookie defensive back duo, Will Lee III and Zakee Wheatley, have some nekton tendencies in their personalities, and maybe a bit of a goldfish, with the ability to forget and move on. It gives them the fearlessness that behooves a defensive back, particularly ones that are young and don't yet know what they don't know.

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"Good play, bad play, they're going to have the appropriate response to reset and be in a position where they're putting themselves, giving themselves the best chance to make a play in the future," bragged Scott of his young teammates. "So I just kind of see that just goes back to confidence just in who they are and the type of player. Demeanor isn't affected by catch, no catch. It's just the flow of the game.

Lee has played more ball to this point, starting in place of Jaycee Horn, who went on injured reserve with Mike Jackson after Week 3. So Scott has more experience playing alongside the Texas A&M rookie for now.

Lee has 24 tackles and seven passes defensed, which is tied for sixth in the league. Against the Eagles, he held Tanner McKee to a 50 percent completion percentage when the ball was thrown his way, and the Eagles tested the rookie a lot, targeting him 16 times. He allowed eight catches and a touchdown. He also had three passes defensed in one game while guarding Eagles WR1 DeVonta Smith for most of the game.

"I think that was the biggest thing that I was so proud of Will and just admired about Will: he's so young, but you don't see his body language change with the flow of the game. That's a skill in my opinion, especially for a position like ours when you're on an island.

"You can see young guys often shrink back when something isn't going their way, or guys are getting catches and things like that. He's just steady, and it feels like I'm playing with a vet out there."

Lee, for his part, sums up his approach in a different way.

"I feel like if you have fear, go to church," he smiled, "that's our saying."

In other words, don't bring it to the field.

Wheatley matches that energy, tapping into something he can't even explain, but just flows on the field.

"The person you're talking to right now is not exactly the same person on the field," he said, pointing to himself. "I'm just wired like that. I think a lot about how grateful I am, knowing this is my dream, and that I've been doing this my whole life to get here.

"This is a man's game, and the person across from you is willing to do everything they can to beat you. If you don't tap into that mode or don't find that other version of yourself to go out there and be able to compete and be able to hit somebody all game and tap into that mode, you're going to get beat.

"I have no other choice. I find that flow state and I try to stay in that bubble. I try to be a pretty violent person, especially on Sundays. I feel like if you're playing safety in this league and you want to be successful, if you're not violent or willing to choose madness, then you're not going to last long."

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That willingness to "choose madness," as Wheatley says it, and play without fear, as Lee explained, helps them fit seamlessly into a defensive back unit that also includes Lathan Ransom and Tre'von Moehrig, two other DBs known for their aggressive style.

It's hard to quantify an intangible, but from the beginning Dave Canales and crew knew they'd have this in their rookie duo.

"Violence, you know, that's where it starts off, for (general manager) Dan (Morgan) looking at guys who have the athletic ability, the movement skills to be able to function at this level in the NFL, but then, you like to see guys emote," explained Canales. "You like to see them blow things up and be an impact player. And these are guys that showed that over their career, and we're not surprised when they show up."

There's a crucial aspect to playing with your hair on fire, though.

You have to actually know where to play.

Flying in fast means nothing if you're in the wrong spot.

"As soon as they kind of know where to be and what they're doing, you really start to see their personality show up and the way that they can help their team and impact the game," said Canales.

No play so far has made that more obvious than the final fourth-down stop in the win against the Eagles on Sunday. Wheatley earned the credit, as he deserved it, but it was a product of the duo playing together, playing smart, and playing violent.

When they arrived in May with the rest of their rookie class, Lee and Wheatley made a pact: be the best rookie DB duo in the league.

"We definitely wanted to make an impact and hold each other accountable," said Wheatley of what drove the pact.

They did that on Sunday against DeVonta Smith.

The Eagles faced a fourth-and-17 from the Panthers' 49-yard line. Carolina had scored on the previous drive to go up 25-14, and with 4:32 remaining, this was undoubtedly the Eagles' final shot to keep a comeback alive. So McKee did what any quarterback would do in that situation: he threw it up to his best receiver, Smith.

Just before the snap, Lee, who was guarding Smith, glanced at Wheatley in the middle of the field, acknowledging where the other was. And initially, Smith probably thought he had the space to make the play. He got past Lee, who was playing the shallow zone to keep anything from becoming an explosive, and down the sideline.

But Lee knew his other half was right behind him. As Smith passed him, Lee stuck out his right arm, signaling to the safety that the receiver was now his. Wheatley sprinted over and jumped in front of Smith. The receiver is tall, something he can use to his advantage over safeties, but Wheatley is 6-3, and he used that length to knock the ball away as Smith tried to get his hands on it.

By the time Wheatley and Smith hit the ground, Lee was standing there ready to celebrate with his teammate.

At game's end, Lee had six tackles and three passes defensed, while Wheatley had four tackles and two passes defensed. It was the first time in Panthers history a rookie defensive back duo had each had four tackles and at least two passes broken up, and the first time in the NFL since Week 11 of the 2023 season.

"They certainly are well ahead of where most people, even myself, would have expected," admitted defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. "That play specifically, just the communication — and it was really more nonverbal how they kind of just looked at each other, and they were able to kind of know how to play that thing off — it was really cool, and Zig obviously made a great play there.

"But, yeah, those guys are doing a great job, and I'm really, really excited about them in that moment and especially where they're going."

It's early yet; there will inevitably be growing pains that arise as two rookies continue to learn the nuances of the NFL game. But whether defined by violence, or trust, or a little bit of both, this copacetic relationship is one they dreamed of since the draft, and one that's already winning the Panthers games.

"It's more like unspoken," said Lee. "We're two competitors; we both want to be great in our position, and it just syncs. He helps me, I help him. That's the great thing that comes with being safety and corners. That's our thing."

Added Wheatley, "By the end of the season, man, it's going to be unbelievable. We're going to be flying around. We're going to be super comfortable and making big plays for this team."