The Carolina Panthers were able to win the NFC South last year despite the entire division struggling in a big way. Then they actually proceeded to knock off the injury rattled Arizona Cardinals in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. It was a season that was considered a success due to making the playoffs, but they will have to take their game to a new level in 2015 in order to repeat their success.

Kelvin Benjamin was the Panthers’ first-round draft pick last year, and he was a very pleasant surprise throughout the 2014 season. After the success that he had last season, Benjamin is ready to leap into stardom during the upcoming season.

During the 2014 season, Benjamin ended up catching 73 passes for 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns. It was a season that showed off a few glimpses of what the future could have in store for the former Florida State Seminoles star receiver. Carolina brought in a bit more talent at the wide receiver position for this year, but there is no question that they are building around Benjamin at the position.

Cam Newton was rewarded with a very rich contract extension this past offseason, which will make him even more motivated to come through with a big season. The chemistry that he built with Benjamin last year during their first season together was impressive, and a full offseason of work for both players will help improve that even more. It is scary to think how much better the two can become with more work.

At 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, Benjamin is a physical freak who is nearly impossible for defensive backs to go up against. There aren’t any cornerbacks capable of locking him down one-on-one, and he gives the Panthers’ offense a mismatch each and every week.

Looking ahead at the 2015 season, Benjamin will have had plenty of time to take his game to a new level. Becoming a bit better at route running is something that he could improve from last season, but simply getting stronger and understanding the game more will be a big help for him moving forward as well. Benjamin is just 24 years old heading into his second season, and he will likely see even more action in the passing game in 2015 than he did a year ago.

Simply learning the nuances and figuring out how to tweak his game to be more dominant throughout the offseason will take him to a new level. He has the potential to be a top 10 wide receiver in the near future, and the Panthers saw this in him when they drafted him. Benjamin has a very rare combination of strength, speed and size, and at this point in time he has tremendous upside over the next couple years.

Carolina’s offense is going to take a step in the right direction with both Newton and Benjamin ready to improve. The Panthers have been needing a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver, and they finally have one in Benjamin. Expect to see him take his numbers to a new level and be one of the NFL‘s leading receivers in 2015.

Evan Massey is a featured writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter at@Massey_Evan and like him on Facebook.