CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Vernon Butler towers over the 47 players participating in the Carolina Panthers rookie camp the way the Duke Energy Center towers over the practice fields.
At 6-foot-4 and 323 pounds, you can’t help but notice the defensive tackle out of Louisiana Tech that goes by the nickname "Big Vern.''
You can’t help but notice the 30th pick of the April draft during drills, either. His athleticism for a player so massive is a big reason the Panthers added him to a position that on paper was solid.
“If we didn’t think he could do multiple things and execute multiple skills we probably wouldn’t have taken him,’’ defensive line coach Eric Washington said.