Panthers select Brandon LaFell, trade up to select Armanti Edwards in third round

Carolina bolstered its receiving corps and special teams on Friday, selecting LSU's Brandon LaFell with the 78th pick and Appalachian State's Armanti Edwards with the 89th pick after a trade with the New England Patriots.

"We came into this draft hoping that we could find a way to get him," Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said of the electrifying Edwards. "You just get a feeling about him that gives you a feeling that he's going to be a very good player."

Hurney also noted that Edwards would be on the WR depth chart and not be counted on as a quarterback with the Panthers.

"It will be quite an adjustment getting the routes and cuts down," Edwards said on Friday evening. "But at the same time I have a little bit of knowledge from playing quarterback. I can get the coverages down pretty quickly."

"He obviously is a little bit of a projection," Hurney said. "But the versatility that he brings -- he is an athlete; he is a football player. He plays the game with an intensity and a toughness that you like. He's got speed and he's just a competitive, tough football player."

LaFell was one of the top receiving prospects entering the 2009 college football season. Starting the last three seasons and catching at least 50 passes in each of those, LaFell is the big receiver that could emerge as a red zone threat and downfield blocker. Many talent evaluators liken him to Kansas City's Dwayne Bowe. Panther fans will recognize him as the "new" Muhsin Muhammad.

"He's a big receiver who plays fast," said Hurney. "He's played outside and inside; he has the ability to play 'Z' and in the slot. We think he's going to be a very good player."