CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jon Beason may not have been publicly recognized by his coach for winning the NFC defensive player of the month award for October until Wednesday.

It doesn’t mean the Carolina Panthers are overlooking their second-year middle linebacker. Far from it.

Bring up Beason’s name in the locker room and even the shy, reserved Julius Peppers perks up.

“He’s a football player. He was born to play football,” Peppers said. “I can’t really say enough about him. He’s a natural leader and he has a passion to play this game. He’s real emotional. He’s a special cat, man.”

The statistics seem to prove Peppers right. A year after setting a franchise record with 160 tackles, Beason could break that mark this year. The team has credited him with 95 through nine games. He also has two interceptions and a fumble recovery.

While Peppers was dominant in Sunday’s 17-6 win against Oakland — three sacks, three tackles for a loss and two forced fumbles — Beason wasn’t too shabby either, recording 14 tackles.

So when coach John Fox got the news Wednesday that Peppers was voted the NFC’s defensive player of the week, he realized he had somehow missed Beason’s award two weeks ago.

Fox announced Peppers’ honor — and belatedly congratulated Beason — at the end of practice.

“Foxy came up today and he was like, ’Hey man, I’m sorry. I didn’t even know,”’ Beason said. “So he announced it and the guys got on me for it.”

His teammates may kid, but they’re also sometimes in awe of just how seamlessly Beason has adjusted to the NFL. The former Miami star was the 25th pick in last year’s draft, then was forced to switch from outside linebacker to the middle early in the season when Dan Morgan was injured.

Beason quickly grasped the position, and after Morgan’s retirement, the Panthers see Beason as the team’s defensive anchor for years to come.

Beason always seems to be around the ball, yet there is no striking characteristic that you can point to that explains it.

He’s fast, but not among the fastest in the league. He’s a hard-hitter, but not the hardest. He’s got good size (6-feet, 237 pounds), but his body doesn’t intimidate.

Safety Chris Harris believes his football smarts set him apart.

“He’s a very instinctive player and that’s something you can’t teach,” Harris said. “It’s just something you’re born with. He’s got a knack for it. It seems like he knows where the ball’s going before it goes there.”

Now that Beason is in his second year, the occasional assignment mistakes seem to have disappeared. The Panthers have him call the defensive signals, and he’s been embraced as a defensive leader with Harris and Peppers despite having played in only 25 NFL games.

“Instinct, attitude, ability, he has it all,” Peppers said. “So you know, he should be, he will be, a Pro Bowler this year. first time over there. So you can look for that for years to come.”

Beason missed out on a trip to Hawaii last year despite finishing second in the voting for the NFL’s defensive rookie of the year to San Francisco’s Patrick Willis. Beason’s profile has been raised this year, thanks to some dominating performances and Carolina’s rise from a non-playoff team a year ago to leading the NFC South at 7-2.

Three times Beason has recorded 15 tackles in a game. He’s been in double digits in five games. Beason is also part of a defensive unit that has allowed only 133 points, second best in the NFL behind Tennessee’s 117.

It’s no wonder Beason won the NFC honor for October — even if he didn’t know until a friend sent him a text message.

“I don’t even pay attention to that stuff. But when you do hear it, it’s a good thing,” Beason said. “There are some good players on the NFC-side of the ball. So hopefully I’ll get across that water and get to Hawaii this year.”

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