This will be Marty Hurney’s first draft since he stepped away as the Carolina Panthers’ general manager during the 2012 season.
But Hurney handled 11 drafts during his first tenure as the Panthers’ GM, beginning with his selection of a North Carolina defensive end named Julius Peppers with the No. 2 overall pick in 2002.
He says the hardest part of being out of the NFL for five seasons was during the draft, which in recent years he watched from home (not a sports bar, he pointed out Tuesday in response to a question).
Hurney says he gained perspective during his time away.