CHARLOTTE – The Panthers used their two seventh-round draft picks to select a pair of former high school teammates in North Carolina linebacker Andre Smith (234th overall) and Miami defensive tackle Kendrick Norton (242nd overall).
Smith and Norton were teammates at Trinity Christian Academy in Jacksonville, Fla.
Smith, a 6-foot, 237-pounder, racked up 21 tackles and an interception over the Tar Heels’ first two games before suffering a season-ending knee injury. He amassed 113 tackles as a sophomore in 2016 at middle linebacker. In 29 career games, Smith totaled 187 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions.