CHARLOTTE --
Neither assumed anything on their first day as Panthers. Edwards reiterated what he said the night before after the Panthers selected him: that he's got much to learn as he takes up a new position, but is confident that his years as quarterback at Appalachian State will help him.
"Right now, I'm a receiver. Wherever I'm playing, I'm going to work hard at it," Edwards said.
LaFell, who started three years at LSU and finished second in school annals in touchdown receptions, wasn't assuming anything either, even though all Panthers receivers other than Smith haven't even started half a season among them.
"You can't just throw me in front of the guys that are already here, because I haven't proved myself yet," LaFell said. "I've got to go through minicamp and training camp. I've got to prove myself.
Edwards wasted no time beginning his quest, wdriving to Bank of America Stadium well before the draft's third day got under way at 10 a.m. EDT.
"I met with the head coach (John Fox), quarterbacks coach (Rip Scherer), wide receivers coach (Tyke Tolbert) offensive coordinator (Jeff Davidson) and a couple of other guys on the staff," Edwards said.
LaFell wasn't able to pack in many early-morning meetings with coaches, since he spent the morning traveling to Charlotte from his home in Houston. He has already spent time with Tolbert, meeting with him at the Scouting Combine in February and LSU's pro day a month later.
"I watched film with (Tolbert) for about 45 minutes before my pro day, breaking down my good and bad plays," LaFell said.
As LaFell recalled, Tolbert already had a rooting interest in the young receiver, since both are LSU alumni.
"He said, 'I'm pulling for you just because you're a Tiger, and if we land you and get you here, you've got to make be proud,'" LaFell said. "I'm going to try to live up to all the hype."
And he knows the first way for him to make an impact could be as a downfield blocker -- especially in an offense with two 1,000-yard runners. The blocking emphasis he'll face in Charlotte mirrors the philosophy drummed into him at LSU.
"If you couldn't block, you weren't stepping on the field. That's one of the things I prided myself on," LaFell said.
The same could be said for Muhsin Muhammad, who starred for the Panthers for all but three of the past 14 seasons. Watching from afar, LaFell noticed.
"Moose, whenever it was time to make a big block downfield, he did it, making that key block and springing the running back. If I can come in and do things like he did, I feel like I'm going to be successful."
