Son of former heavyweight boxing champ, explosive WR, safety among Panthers UDFA contracts
The Carolina Panthers agreed to terms with four undrafted free agents on Monday, including the son of former heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield.
Georgia running back Elijah Holyfield, Utah safety Corrion Ballard, Nicholls State receiver Damion Jeanpiere and Cal linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk will all sign their UDFA contracts on May 10, which is the first day of the Panthers’ two-day rookie minicamp.
Holyfield (5-foot-11, 215 pounds) is a fierce downhill runner who racked up 1,088 rushing yards on 159 carries in 2018. Holyfield’s athletic trainer posted a video on Twitter on Saturday night of the running back doing 254 glute hamstring raises — one for every pick in the NFL draft.
Ballard, a lanky 6-foot-3, 200-pound safety was an honorable mention Pac-12 honoree in 2018. Before starting for two years at Utah, he played at the junior college level at Blinn College — the same school quarterback Cam Newton attended.
The Panthers likely want to see what Jeanpiere can do as a deep threat this fall, after he averaged 19.3 yards per catch on his way to 850 receiving yards and three touchdowns his senior season.
And Panthers head coach Ron Rivera welcomed another former Cal linebacker in Kunaszyk, who recorded 148 tackles during his senior season with the Bears.
Because the Panthers signed six former Alliance of American Football players to their 90-man roster earlier this spring, general manager Marty Hurney said that he would not bring in more than five or six undrafted free agents.
The roster currently sits at 88 players (once the four UDFAs sign their contracts), which leaves room for the Panthers to sign a free safety or keep players they invite to minicamp this spring.
This story was originally published April 29, 2019 at 12:32 PM.
