David Newton breaks down the 2016 Carolina Panthers draft class.

Round 1, pick 30: Vernon Butler, DT, Louisiana Tech | Highlights

My take: Gettleman said when Butler came in for a visit, he "filled up the chair" in his office. He’s a true "hog molly" at 6-foot-3 and 325 pounds and has the potential to fill up the backfield of opposing offenses. Adding Butler to a rotation that already includes Pro Bowler Kawann Short and Star Lotulelei means even more possibilities for Carolina's defense. It also gives Gettleman flexibility in keeping the salary cap under control down the road. The plan is to give Short a long-term extension, probably before this season. Lotulelei is secured through the 2017 season because Carolina used the fifth-year option on him. But if the price becomes too high after that, Gettleman has Butler as a fallback at a lower price. In the meantime, the Panthers have three tackles who can create havoc up the middle. As Gettleman likes to say, "big men give you a chance to compete."

Choices, choices: Gettleman admitted he was shocked that Butler remained on the board at No. 30, so he didn’t hesitate pulling the trigger on a player Carolina put through the full draft process. Butler was surprised he was there as well after the Lions told him they’d select him at No. 16. What set Butler apart from Alabama’s A'Shawn Robinson and Jarran Reed, in the mind of coach Ron Rivera, was his potential. Although he didn’t play at one of the so-called big schools, Butler showed the ability to play big-time football. As Gettleman said, "He’s got everything." The Panthers also had several options at defensive end in Clemson's Kevin Dodd and Oklahoma State's Emmanuel Ogbah. But, Gettleman admitted, he "couldn’t help myself" in selecting a "hog molly" like Butler.

History-maker: Butler is the first defensive player in Louisiana Tech history to be selected in the first round of the draft. He didn’t start playing football until his junior year in high school in Summit, Mississippi. Until then his sport was basketball, but for a player with his bulk he figured he needed to be 6-foot-9 instead of 6-4 to have a long-term future on the court. So he moved to football, where he could play end and tackle. He excelled at Louisiana Tech with 170 career tackles, including 29.5 for loss.

Better learn to dab: Butler said he pulled for the Panthers in Super Bowl 50 against Denver because he’s partial to quarterback Cam Newton. He actually said he’s a "big Cam Newton fan." Stay tuned to see if he can dab.

Round 2, pick 62: James Bradberry, CB, Samford | Highlights

My take: This was all about general manager Dave Gettleman’s philosophy on big cornerbacks. Bradberry is big at 6-foot-1 and 213 pounds, but he didn’t play against much big-time competition at the Southern Conference school. Of course, you can argue Josh Norman, the cornerback the Panthers have to replace after rescinding his franchise tag, didn’t either. Norman came out of Coastal Carolina and wound up a Pro Bowl selection in 2015. But the Panthers used a fifth-round pick on Norman, now with the Washington Redskins. They probably could have gotten Bradberry in the third or fourth round. Thus, it felt like a reach.

Due diligence: The Panthers were the only team to work out Bradberry and bring him in for a visit, another reason the corner felt he would slip into the third day of the draft. Philadelphia reportedly spent a lot of time with Bradberry at the Senior Bowl, where he began to draw attention. But nobody indicated he would go this high. Statistically, Bradberry had only 43 tackles and two interceptions in 2015. Not overly impressive. He started his career at Arkansas State, where the coaches moved him to safety. He wanted to play cornerback, where he has been since 2012 after transferring to Samford. The biggest big-time receiver Bradberry faced was Auburn’s Sammie Coates, a third-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2015. He had an interception against Coates, a big receiver at 6-1. The Panthers face a lot of big receivers in the NFC South in Atlanta’s Julio Jones and Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans, another reason Gettleman went with size.

The toilet: Bradberry was walking into his mom’s bathroom to work on the toilet when he felt his cell phone ring. When he saw it was a North Carolina area code his heart began to pound really fast. He admittedly knows a lot more about football than he does fixing toilets. “I don’t really know how to fix things for real, but I try when I can," he said. Bradberry considers his strengths to be his versatility and physicality. He is considered best fit for zone coverage, which the Panthers play a lot. As for the toilet, Bradberry said, “It’s still in there waiting on me. It may not get fixed."

Round 3, pick 77: Daryl Worley, CB, West Virginia | Highlights

My take: Gettleman admitted the loss of 2015 Pro Bowl corner Josh Norman, now with the Washington Redskins, changed the focus of Carolina's draft strategy on Day 2. But because the rest of the roster was in such good shape, Gettleman had the luxury of focusing on corner. He liked Worley enough to swap third- and fifth-round picks with Cleveland and give up a fourth-round pick to move from No. 92 to 77. Like Bradberry (6-1, 213), who was selected in the second round, Worley is a big cornerback at 6-1, 202. Big corners are a part of Gettleman's philosophy. Worley didn't feel like as much of a reach as Bradberry did, even with the trade. What I like about Worley is he played against big-time competition. He had six interceptions and 12 passes broken up this past year. Hard to argue he didn't earn the right to go here, although few rankings had him here.

Legal issue: In 2014, Worley reportedly turned himself in after an arrest warrant was issued charging him with battery following an altercation with a woman outside a nightclub. He ultimately pleaded no contest; the charges were dropped and expunged from his record. Worley said he provided a surveillance tape of the incident that happened outside a bar to all 32 teams. He said it corroborated his story that he was breaking up a fight between another girl and his girlfriend. Gettleman said Worley was put through the ringers during his visit to Charlotte. This included a visit with team owner Jerry Richardson. The team wanted to make sure there were no issues after dealing with the domestic violence charges against defensive end Greg Hardy in 2014. To be clear, Worley never was charged with domestic violence. Gettleman said the entire staff was satisfied with what the tapes and follow up reports showed. "Do you guys think for one moment, after what happened in 2014, I'm going to do something stupid?" Gettleman said. "I mean, c'mon. We've all made mistakes as kids. Every one of us sitting here and standing here has done something stupid or been involved in a situation that we hope people don't find out about. He's a good kid, and we're very comfortable with everything."

He's 21: Worley was born on Feb. 22, 1995, which makes him 21. But there were rumors he might have been older. "I don't know where the rumors of me being older came from. I just turned 21 two months ago," Worley said. Worley said the discrepancy popped up sometime around the NFL combine. "I don't know where it came from," he said. "My birthday was actually four days before the combine, so I was actually clueless about that."

Round 5, pick 141*: Zack Sanchez, CB, Oklahoma | Highlights

My take: General manager Dave Gettleman said Friday that the decision to rescind the franchise tag on Norman, now with the Washington Redskins, had an impact on his draft strategy. No kidding. He selected Sanchez after taking Samford’s James Bradberry and West Virginia’s Daryl Worley in the second and third rounds. Sanchez (5-foot-11) is two inches shorter than the other two, and he might be a better fit at nickel behind Brandon Boykin. At this point he’s not a reach, and it’s a sign the Panthers are comfortable with the rest of their roster. Remember, the Panthers got Norman in the fifth round of the 2012 draft and he became a Pro Bowl selection in 2015.

Best playmaker in draft: Sanchez doesn’t lack for confidence. He recently was quoted as saying: “I’m the best defensive playmaker in the draft, hands down. Nobody can create turnovers the way that I can. Nobody gets their hands on more balls than I do. There are obviously things in my technique that I have to fix, but I have something you can’t coach: That’s natural instincts and a gift for making plays. You can’t coach players to make plays.’’ Sounds like something Norman would say.

*Acquired from Browns

Round 7, pick 252: Beau Sandland, TE, Montana State | Highlights

My take: That the team's final pick was a tight end isn’t a huge surprise, as the Panthers are looking for a player to develop behind Pro Bowler Greg Olsen and Ed Dickson. Sandland has good size (6-foot-4, 253 pounds) and long arms and has shown potential an interior run-blocker. He caught 37 passes for 632 yards and nine touchdowns this past season, with six of those scores coming in the final five games. Carolina was the only team he visited, so he’d been targeted.

Former Hurricane: He didn’t spend his entire college career at the University of Miami as Olsen did, but Sanders did spend a year there 2013. In search of playing time, he transferred to Montana State and redshirted in 2014. He had only nine catches for 94 yards and a touchdown with Miami. Now he gets to learn from one of the best tight ends in Miami history.