1. He believes in himself

Worley sought input from the NFL Draft Advisory Board about whether he should pro after his junior season. The board advised against it, but he went for it anyway and was selected early in the third round by the Panthers.

"They gave me about a fourth-round grade, and they summed it up that I should go back to school if I wasn't first or second round," Worley said. "I talked it over with my parents and my coaches and some of my teammates. I just had confidence in my abilities, knowing that physically and mentally I could take it to the next level."

2. He believes in the Panthers

In his conference call moments after being selected, Worley went so far as to say Carolina was the only team he wanted to play for after experiencing a memorable pre-draft visit.

"That was a team that when I took a visit there, I honestly fell in love with – the entire coaching staff, the city as a whole," Worley said. "I was just completely comfortable. It's an excellent place."

3. The Panthers believe in him

Carolina traded up to make sure it got Worley, aggressive moving to secure his services even after drafting cornerback James Bradberry a round earlier.

Why? Because Carolina considered Worley and Bradberry before him to be top-six corners in the draft.

"We had three or four corners in front of them, but those were our next two guys," general manager Dave Gettleman said. "I feel really good about it. I don't feel like I reached. I'm excited about them."

4. Worley can run for days

At the NFL Scouting Combine, Worley easily recorded the best time in the 60-yard shuttle run, finishing in 10.87 seconds. The next-best corner was top-five overall pick Jalen Ramsey (0.23 seconds slower), and just two athletes regardless of position had faster times.

5. He has a famous namesake – sort of

A Google search for Worley is likely to bring up links to country music singer Darrly Worley (note the extra "r"). The second single from Worley's debut album in 1999 was called "A Good Day to Run."