Worley sought input from the NFL Draft Advisory Board about whether he should pro after his junior season. The board advised against it, but he went for it anyway and was selected early in the third round by the Panthers.
"They gave me about a fourth-round grade, and they summed it up that I should go back to school if I wasn't first or second round," Worley said. "I talked it over with my parents and my coaches and some of my teammates. I just had confidence in my abilities, knowing that physically and mentally I could take it to the next level.