1. He's the first player from Samford to be drafted by the Panthers

When former Panthers cornerback Chris Gamble announced Carolina's second-round selection, he was delivering news of a franchise first. James Bradberry is the first Carolina Panther to be drafted from Samford University, and one of the highest picks in school history to boot. He joins safety Jaquiski Tartt, who was drafted with the 46th overall pick in 2015 by the San Francisco 49ers.

2. He has a chip on his shoulder

Coming from a small school like Samford, Bradberry is out to prove that Football Championship Subdivision players can hold their own against at the highest level.

"I hope to show that I can compete with the guys from the bigger schools," Bradberry said, "that there's not a dropoff in talent when it comes to FCS players."

3. He transferred from Arkansas State

Coming out of high school, Bradberry was signed by Hugh Freeze at Arkansas State as a corner, but a coaching change resulted in a move to safety after his redshirt season. Preferring to remain a corner, he transferred to Samford and ended up a four-year starter for the Bulldogs. He was a first-team All-Southern Conference selection as a senior in 2015.

"I really wanted to go back out and play corner and just wanted to prove myself that I could still play it."

He won't have the same issue in Carolina.

"I'm definitely playing corner," Bradberry said in a conference call on Friday night. "I've got that vibe from Coach (Steve) Wilks, the way that he's confident in my abilities so I am definitely playing corner."

4. He's built for football

The Panthers like Bradberry's size, and his combine performance garnered attention from several NFL clubs, but those are not the only reasons he'sregarded as one of the top corners in the class of 2016.

According to draft analyst Ethan Young, Bradberry grades extremely high on the "Slaytics" scale, a metric that evaluates combine measurables and athletic ability.

5. He really stood out at the Senior Bowl

Coming off a season in which he recorded 45 tackles and 11 passes broken up, Bradberry earned himself a trip to the Senior Bowl.

Buffalo Bills play-by-play announcer John Murphy wrote that Bradberry was among the largest and most impressive corners at the event.

"He did a good job in press coverage during Senior Bowl practices and used his 33-inch long arms to jam receivers and hold them up at the line of scrimmage during one on one drills."

Murphy also noted that Bradberry garnered extra attention and instruction from Jaguars coach Gus Bradley.

ESPN NFL Draft analyst Louis Riddick listed Bradberry as one of his top prospects at the Senior Bowl.