Corey Thornton making the most of his opportunities

CHARLOTTE — For most of training camp, there was a lot the Carolina Panthers didn't know about Corey Thornton .

The UCF and Louisville product came to the Panthers as a rookie undrafted free agent in the spring. He was invited to the East-West Shrine Bowl but not the NFL Combine, somewhat lost in the shadow of his Cardinals teammate Quincy Riley, who was drafted in the fourth round by the Saints. And when Thornton arrived in Charlotte as an UDFA in May, it was buried on a depth chart headlined by Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson .

But the Panthers have found a few undrafted gems that became contributors lately, such as Jalen Coker and Demani Richardson . So when the scouting department delivered Thornton this year, there was always a good chance he could be the next in line.

"Cred