The Carolina Panthers have signed the first rookie of their 2022 draft class
Carolina Panthers rookie Amaré Barno does have speed.
The sixth-round draft pick became the first player in the 2022 NFL draft class to sign his rookie deal with his new team, the Panthers announced Tuesday.
Barno, who is 6-foot-5, 236 pounds, is from Blythewood, S.C. His parents currently live in Charlotte, so he spends a lot of his time here. His stepfather owns a barbershop at a mall in Charlotte.
When general manager Scott Fitterer called to congratulate him on being drafted Saturday, Barno, to the surprise of Fitterer, said he was at Lake Norman.
“Being able to stay home, it’s great,” Barno told media members Saturday.
Barno played three seasons at Virginia Tech where he was an edge rusher. Barno had 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks during the 2021 season. But his best season was his sophomore year when he finished third in the FBS with 16 tackles for loss in 2020. Barno was a solid player for the Hokies.
He ran a 4.36 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine last month, which was the fastest of all defensive linemen in the draft.
The Panthers drafted six players in the 2022 NFL draft, including left tackle Ikem Ekwonu with the sixth pick, and quarterback Matt Corral with the 94th pick in the third round.
This story was originally published May 3, 2022 at 3:28 PM.
