CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -The Carolina Panthers have bolstered their linebacking corps and perhaps found some help in replacing the pass rush lost when Julius Peppers left in free agency.
The Panthers picked South Carolina linebacker Eric Norwood in the fourth round of the NFL draft on Saturday, bringing in a player who set the school record for career sacks and was an Associated Press first-team All-American last season.
Norwood was second on the Gamecocks with 81 tackles to go with seven sacks and two interceptions last year. He finished his career with 29 sacks and was a three-time all-Southeastern Conference pick.
“I’m a guy that’s going to push to the limit every day during practice, all the time during the games,” Norwood said. “I’ve got to compete every day at a high level, which I’m used to.”
Chicago, leaving behind a thin defensive line made even thinner by the offseason release of veteran tackles Damione Lewis and Maake Kemoeatu.
The Panthers took Norwood with the 124th overall pick after trading down 12 spots in a deal with the New York Jets. The Panthers picked up the Jets’ sixth-round selection, giving them four picks in the sixth and two more in the seventh later Saturday.
The Panthers also focused on defense with their next pick, taking Mississippi defensive end Greg Hardy in the sixth round with the 175th overall selection. Hardy is a 6-foot-4, 280-pound end who had five sacks despite playing just nine games last year while battling foot and wrist injuries.
Carolina addressed pressing needs on offense a day earlier by picking Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen – a first-round talent by many projections – in the middle of the second round. In the third, the Panthers grabbed LSU receiver Brandon LaFell, then traded away next year’s second-round pick to get back into the round and pick up Appalachian State’s Armanti Edwards.
Edwards, a quarterback who led the Mountaineers’ upset of Michigan in 2007, is projected as a receiver and returner in the NFL.
The Panthers are hoping LaFell, a big and physical receiver, can fill the No. 2 spot opposite Steve Smith and prove to be a reliable downfield blocker for running backs De’Angelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.
opportunity,” LaFell said as he and Edwards met reporters here Saturday afternoon. “At the same time, you can’t just throw me in front of the guys that’s already here. I’ve got to go through minicamp. I’ve got to go through training camp and I’ve got to prove myself.”
Add A Comment