4 best undrafted free agents ever signed by the Carolina Panthers

Brad Hoover – Former Carolina Panthers FB

Brad Hoover was born in High Point, North Carolina. As a senior in high school at Ledford, the player led the entire state with 2,662 rushing yards and 34 rushing touchdowns.

Hoover would move on to attend college at Western Carolina University, where he played for four years in the backfield, tallying 3,616 rushing yards – an impressive number and enough for second all-time in the program’s history He also recorded 28 rushing touchdowns, which landed him at fifth in the school rankings.

The player then went undrafted in the 2000 NFL Draft and signed with the Carolina Panthers. In his rookie season. Something of a surprise at the time.

Hoover was not a starter. However, an injury occurred and the versatile backfield presence ended up starting a couple of games at running back where he even recorded a 100-yard rushing game.

In Hoover’s third season with the Panthers, he became the starting fullback for the team and was a key piece for Carolina during the 2003 Super Bowl run.

Whether it was blocking defenders, running the ball, or receiving out of the backfield, the team could count on Hoover. This also made him a cult figure within the team’s fanbase.

His best statistical season probably came in 2004 when he had more than 400 total yards with two receiving touchdowns.

Hoover was a durable player and played all 16 games in a season seven times. He played a total of 10 seasons for the Panthers and when he touched the ball, fans in then Ericcson and now Bank of America Stadium released their “Hoov” chants.