CHARLOTTE —When Nic Scourton was coming out of high school in Bryan, Tex., his dream was to play for the Texas A&M Aggies. Bryan and College Station are essentially the same town, so it was a chance to stay home and play for the team he grew up watching and loving.

But he didn't have an offer from Texas A&M. He didn't have an offer from a lot of bigger schools.

"Coming out of high school, I didn't have many offers," Scourton recounted on Friday night after being drafted by the Panthers at No. 51 overall in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft, proving so many of those projections wrong.

After being refused the offer he wanted, Scourton headed northeast to Indiana. In two years at Purdue, he accumulated 72 tackles, 12 sacks, and two forced fumbles. His 2023 tape in particular was strong, with 50 tackles with 15 for loss, 10 sacks, and three passes defended. It was a stat line that popped when Scourton decided to enter the transfer portal.

"Then I hit the portal, you know, I was kind of sought after," Scourton said. "I was kind of sought after, so that was kind of dope."

The moment Texas A&M expressed interest, the decision was made.

"The decision to come back home was such a, you know, it was kind of like a relief when I got the opportunity," Scourton admitted.

"At first I was a little bit salty about it, you know, like not being recruited out of high school, man, but once I got past that, I sat down with Coach (Mike) Elko and his staff, and I was just like man, this is where I want to play."

The result was a player who both played at his dream school, adding tools to his game that only the best of the best competition can teach…married with a guy who still remembered being spurned just two years earlier.

"I mean, it's aligning and I think it paid it off, you know, made some great connections, played some great football, I played in the SEC, was able to go and win a couple of big games, lost a couple of big games," began Scourton.

"Just to be like, able to go to the SEC man and had success was just like a, it was a big honor and especially to do it in my hometown.

"What I see is, man, bringing in a nasty demeanor, a guy with a chip on his shoulder and a natural born leader, and a guy who loves football."

The Panthers haven't talked many details yet with Scourton on how exactly he will be used in Ejiro Evero's defense. But the edge rusher, who had 37 tackles with a team leading 14 for loss and five sacks on a loaded defense, promises an attitude that won't change regardless the scheme, playbook, or need.

"I think just a resilient guy, you know, coming to the game with great game plans, really good understanding of how to rush and things like that. I think I'm a very instinctive player, while also being a very smart player, you know, you can see I'm thinking on the field and I think I'm very physical, so I think I'll fit right in.

"I really don't like to lose, I think it's like almost like, I think it's it's the worst thing in the world. I hate to lose and I think that's just kind of what drives me to get better. (And) I think having a guy like that is very important on every team."

When Nic Scourton arrives in Charlotte in a couple of weeks for rookie minicamp, it'll be with the memory of the high school recruit who had to prove himself, the college player who did, and the promise of the NFL player he can become.

"I'm coming to compete for a spot, man, and compete to win a championship. I'm not coming to just say I made to NFL, but I think I add a lot to the defense just by being myself."