National Football League

Panthers take CB James Bradberry out of Samford in

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 6:50 p.m. ET

foxsports

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) The Carolina Panthers have selected defensive back James Bradberry out of Samford in the second round of the NFL draft.

The Panthers, who lost to the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl, used the 62nd overall pick Friday to fill a need in their defensive secondary following the departure of All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman.

The move to draft Bradberry came after Carolina took Louisiana Tech defensive tackle Vernon Butler with the 30th overall pick in the first round on Thursday.

Bradberry was surprised to get picked so high - many draft projections had him going anywhere from the third to the seventh round- but said the Panthers had expressed the most interest.

''I was waiting, man,'' Bradberry said. ''I was actually fixing the toilet in my mom's bathroom when they called. I didn't know when I was going to get the call.

''I had heard anywhere from the second round to the fifth, so I tried to keep a level head and not expect anything. I was ready for anything.''

Bradberry, 6-foot-1 and 211 pounds, was a four-year starter with the Bulldogs after transferring from Arkansas State.

Playing primarily at cornerback, Bradberry had eight career interceptions and was a two-time all-Southern Conference pick. He also had 128 career tackles, including 90 solo tackles.

Bradberry could compete right away for playing time in Carolina's secondary after the departure of Norman, a fifth-round draft pick by the Panthers in 2012 who had blossomed into one of the league's top cornerbacks.

The Panthers had put the franchise tag on Norman following the 2015 season, in which he had four interceptions (two returned for touchdowns).

But after Norman failed to sign the franchise tag - which would have paid him $13.95 million in 2016 - after seven weeks, Carolina rescinded the offer. Norman then signed a five-year, $75 million deal with the Washington Redskins.

---

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFL