The Panthers continued to bolster their defensive line Thursday night by selecting Louisiana Tech defensive tackle Vernon Butler with the 30th overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft.
The 6-4, 323-pound Mississippi native accumulated 170 career tackles (29.5 of those tackles for loss) in 49 games, and was a first-team All-Conference USA selection following a dominant senior season.
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Even though the Panthers lost cornerback Josh Norman to the Redskins and defensive end Jared Allen to retirement, they decided to focus on their interior line.