MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Cautioned by NFL draft advisors and his West Virginia coaches to stay in school, cornerback Daryl Worley made the leap anyway.
Friday night it paid off when Carolina selected him in the middle of the third round, trading up to do so.
The NFC-champion Panthers, who held opposing quarterbacks to a league-low 73.5 passer rating last season, swapped three lower-round picks to Cleveland and jumped 16 spots to take Worley at No. 77 overall.
General manager Dave Gettleman said Carolina gave Worley a second-round grade, two rounds higher than the draft advisory board pegged him in December.