SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Panthers signed rookie wide receiver Paul Browning on Sunday, hours after learning that Stephen Hill would be lost for the season with a knee injury suffered the same day.

Panthers.com caught up with Browning to discuss his path from Pueblo, Colo., to Wofford:

"I was at home in Colorado when I got a call. I had actually heard that one of the guys had gone down, and then a couple of hours later I got a phone call from my agent letting me know that the Panthers were going to pick me up. I was happy about that. I had to leave Colorado Springs at 10:30 p.m. and go to Denver. I flew out of Denver at 1 a.m., got to Charlotte around 6 and got here around 8. By nine o'clock, I'm out here working out. It was a lot. I was just going, but I'm happy to be here. This is a great opportunity."

You've been in a pro system, having spent about five weeks with the Cleveland Browns this offseason, but how difficult will it be to get up to speed and compete at such a competitive spot for the Panthers?

"There are a lot of obstacles in life that people have to go through. This is a very important obstacle for me, but it's miniscule when you look at life on the whole. A lot of people would love to be in my shoes. If it means being in the playbook an extra three hours when everybody else isn't, then that's what I've got to do. I've got to get this down. I knew what I want my future to be."

You enjoyed great team success at Colorado State-Pueblo, helping the fledgling program win the Division II National Championship last season. Will that experience help you here?

"What you did in college doesn't define you as a pro; this is a whole other level. But I was able to see right off the bat that there's a winning atmosphere here, and in Pueblo I only lost three games. That was a winning environment too, and I could sense the same thing when I got here."

You also had a lot of individual success in college, catching more than 150 passes for more than 2,500 yards and 24 touchdowns. What can Panthers nation expect to see from you?

"I want to make an impact. I want to really contribute. We've already got some big-bodied receivers here who are able to do that, and that's the same mentality I have – a big-bodied receiver who is physical and will fight like an animal. I want to make plays and be relentless."