Carolina Panthers Rookie Nic Scourton Hospitalized With Collapsed Lung, Recovery Timeline Uncertain

A collapsed lung sidelined Panthers rookie Nic Scourton during Thursday's joint practice with Houston. The injury sent him straight to the hospital, with his return date still unclear.

Panthers head coach Dave Canales said Saturday that medical staff first suspected heat stress before discovering the true problem. "It was a very physical play," Canales said to Panthers.com. "It was presenting like heat exhaustion because he was having trouble breathing. He was getting tired and all that, so we kind of cooled him down."

The 20-year-old draft pick spent a night under medical watch in Houston. Staff opted to drive him back to Charlotte rather than risk air travel, which could worsen his condition due to cabin pressure changes.

The team's medical chief, Denny Kellington, is watching Scourton's progress week by week. Medical experts say recovery times vary widely: from two weeks to over two months.

Before this setback, Scourton had shown promise. In his NFL debut against Cleveland on Aug. 8, he made his mark with a sack and two tackles behind the line. His move from Purdue to Texas A&M last season capped off strong college stats: 109 tackles and 17 sacks.

Rookie Princely Umanmielen steps up now to fill the gap. He made his case in Saturday's Houston game, landing three tackles and putting heat on the quarterback twice.

"Definitely praying for him," said quarterback Bryce Young after Saturday's match, per the Charlotte Observer. "He's a warrior. I saw him that day at practice when we thought it was just heat. And (he had) a great attitude."