Carolina Panthers' waiver claim gives former UNC star a homecoming

The Carolina Panthers added another running back Tuesday — this one with local ties.

A day after signing C.J. Anderson to a one-year contract, the Panthers claimed former North Carolina and Charlotte Catholic standout Elijah Hood off waivers from Oakland.

Hood, 22, spent most of his rookie season on the Raiders’ practice squad after Oakland drafted him in the seventh round last year. He was active for an Oct. 29 loss at Buffalo when Marshawn Lynch was suspended but did not get any offensive snaps.

Hood rushed for more than 3,000 yards as both a junior and senior at Charlotte Catholic, where he was a teammate of Joe Hurney, son of Panthers general manager Marty Hurney.

Hood played three seasons for the Tar Heels, finishing in the top 10 in school history with 2,580 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns.

“I saw him a lot (in high school),” Marty Hurney said. “And he had very good production at North Carolina.”

Hurney said the 5-foot-11, 230-pound Hood will add to the Panthers’ depth and competition at running back.

This story was originally published May 8, 2018 at 5:42 PM with the headline "Carolina Panthers' waiver claim gives former UNC star a homecoming."