The Carolina Panthers have an odd franchise trajectory.

They entered the NFL in 1995, instantly climbed into the upper echelon ranks by winning 12 games and making it all the way to the NFC Championship Game as soon as their second season and then stunk for six years before making it to their first Super Bowl during the 2003-04 campaign.

Overall, the Panthers have made eight playoff appearances and a pair of trips to the Super Bowl, so Carolina has been somewhat well-traveled for a club that just joined the league two-and-a-half decades ago.

As you would expect for a team with decent success, some terrific players have donned Panthers uniforms over the years, but how about the ones you may not remember?

Here are the five best Carolina players you may have forgotten about:

5. Lamar Lathon, Linebacker

Lamar Lathon began his NFL career with the Houston Oilers in 1990 and spent five seasons there before joining the Panthers for their inaugural campaign in 1995.

It didn't take long for Lathon to make a significant impact, as he totaled 70 tackles and eight sacks in his first season with the club and then racked up 77 tackles and 13.5 sacks en route to a Pro Bowl appearance the following year, playing a pivotal role on that '96 Carolina squad that came within one win of a trip to the Super Bowl.

After that, Lathon pretty much fell off a cliff. He logged just 55 tackles and a pair of sacks in 1997, and in '98, he played in only two games before injuries ended his season—and subsequently, his career.

Lathon never played in another NFL game following the 1998 campaign.

4. Mike Minter, Safety

It's rare that you see a player in any sport spend their entire career with a single team, but that is exactly what Mike Minter did.

Minter played 10 NFL seasons, all of them coming with the Panthers. No, he never made a Pro Bowl. No, he was never revered as one of the best safeties in the league. But he was very underrated.

In spite of being a safety, Minter is actually Carolina's third all-time leading tackler, having registered 805 tackles throughout his professional tenure. He also played eight full 16-game campaigns and was a tremendous leader in the locker room.

Obviously, there were other flashier safeties in the league during Minter's playing days. But I'm sure most guys who played with him would mention how good of a player Minter actually was.

3. Mike Rucker, Defensive End

Given that Mike Rucker played alongside of Julius Peppers and Kris Jenkins for a chunk of his career, he was very overlooked. That's understandable, because Peppers and Jenkins were genuinely elite defensive linemen.

But Rucker was pretty darn good in his own right.

The University of Nebraska product, who entered the NFL with the Panthers in 1999, spent all nine of his seasons in Carolina and had a particularly impressive stretch between 2001 and 2003, when he amassed 31 sacks.

Rucker's best season came in 2003, when he rattled off 59 tackles and 12 sacks to make his first and only Pro Bowl.

Also, throughout his NFL tenure, Rucker missed just five games, so he was always available.

The St. Joseph, Mo. native accumulated 55.5 sacks and 15 forced fumbles over the course of his professional career.

2. Wesley Walls, Tight End

Wesley Walls represents one of those weird cases where he received recognition (five Pro Bowl appearances) but isn't really talked about.

A second-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 1989, Walls eventually joined the Panthers in 1996 and instantly flourished, catching 61 passes for 713 yards and 10 touchdowns en route to his first trip to the Pro Bowl.

Walls went on to make four straight Pro Bowl appearances between 1996 and 1999, with his best season coming in '99 when he hauled in 63 receptions for 822 yards and 12 scores.

He added another Pro Bowl selection in 2001, although that year, Walls' production was only so-so (43 catches for 452 yards and five touchdowns).

Overall, Walls spent seven seasons in Carolina between 1996 and 2002 before joining the Green Bay Packers for one year. He totaled a hefty 44 touchdowns during his time with the Panthers.

1. Muhsin Muhammad, Wide Receiver

Muhsin Muhammad had an odd career, to say the least.

He broke into the NFL with the Panthers in 1996 and made his first of two Pro Bowls in 1999, when he snared 96 balls for 1,253 yards and eight touchdowns. The following year, Muhammad led the league with 102 receptions and also tallied 1,183 yards while reaching the end zone six times.

Muhammad then took a strange step back between 2001 and 2003, failing to log 1,000 yards in any of those seasons before having the best year of his career in 2004. That season, Moose caught 93 passes and paced the NFL in both yards (1,405) and touchdowns (16). He made the Pro Bowl and earned a First-Team All-Pro selection for his efforts.

Muhammad's monster 2004 campaign also earned him a fat contract with the Chicago Bears, although he failed to replicate that production in the Windy City and ended up returning to Carolina in 2008.

After 2004, the Michigan State product never again tallied 1,000 yards in a single campaign, giving him one of the more interesting career trajectories we have seen from a wide out.

While Muhammad was never really considered an elite receiver with the likes of Randy Moss, Terrell Owens and Torry Holt during his prime, he is a respectable 32nd on the NFL's all-time receiving yards list.

Perennial Pro Bowler? No. Hall-of-Famer? No. Damn good player? Yes.