CHARLOTTE — Trevor Etienne has had two football mentors in recent years; his brother, Travis Etienne, played at Clemson and has been with the Jacksonville Jaguars the last four seasons. The other is the younger Etienne's newest teammate, his "other brother," edge rusher Princely Umanmielen.

Etienne, the Carolina Panthers No. 114 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and Umanmielen, the Panthers third round pick on Friday at No. 77 overall, were teammates together at University of Florida for two years, before both transferred for their final season. Etienne moved to Georgia and Umanmielen to Ole Miss. But when Etienne arrived in Gainesville as a freshman and Umanmielen was heading into his junior year, the defender took the running back under his wing.

"Princely is my brother, always will be, and he kind of just took me under his wing, showed me the way of college football, you know, showed me how to take care of your body, the little things, how to do the little things, man," Etienne told reporters on Saturday shortly after being drafted.

"I'm just excited to be able to work with him again."

Etienne and Umanmielen made each other better by facing off in practice. But the running back also had his brother to lean on as a fellow rusher. The Jaguars running back was a three-time first-team All-American, and drafted in the first round of the 2021 draft.

It's given the younger Etienne a sounding board and touchstone for how to approach this process.

"He always told me don't try to leave a legacy, live a legacy, and that's something he's told me in high school and you know I carry it through life and what I've learned from him is how much, you know, you have to become a pro, how much you have to like really lock in and become a student of the game and just take care of your body. So I learned so much."

Etienne averaged 5.0 yards per carry for the Bulldogs last year, rushing 122 times for 609 yards with nine touchdowns. He also has the kind of speed necessary in the return game, as he ran a 4.42 40 at the combine this year, along with a 35-inch vertical, and returned kicks while at Florida.

"I mean, whatever the team needs, you know, whatever it takes, I'm willing to do anything to help the team, help the Panthers organization, help my team in any way that I can," Etienne said on the prospect of returning kicks.

Area scout Cory Fuller has had an eye on Etienne since last summer. The more film he saw, the more production he saw.

"I remember watching him over the summer and he's flashy as soon as you watch the film," Fuller said. "He's a guy that's going to make you miss in a phone booth, good contact balance. Return value, catch the ball out of the backfield, he kind of can do it all. Then as you get to meet him and you learn more about him, interact with him, you kind of fall in love with the person as well."

Etienne will join a running back room that is headlined by Chuba Hubbard, who was rewarded with an extension this past season in route to a 1,195-years for the year. The club also brought in free agent Rico Dowdle after a 1,079-yard season with the Cowboys, while Jonathan Brooks recovers from an ACL tear.