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Former Baylor cornerback Mark Milton signs deal following NFL Draft

20200517_134556by:Justin Rudolph•04/29/23
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WACO, TX -NOVEMBER 27: Mark Milton #37 of the Baylor Bears reacts after recovering a fumble against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the second half at McLane Stadium on November 27, 2021 in Waco, Texas. Baylor won 27-24. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

The 2023 NFL Draft is over but former Baylor Bears cornerback Mark Milton. According to NFL Network Tom Pelissero, Milton is on his way to Carolina to join number one overall pick Bryce Young as a member of the Panthers.

The Houston, TX, native sports a rangy six-foot-two 191-pound frame. While at Baylor, Milton saw action in all four season there. His best season was his last. In 2022 for the Bears, he played in 12 games, recording 45 total tackles, 34 solo, and one interception. Overall Milton leaves Baylor with 96 total tackles, 71 solo, eight passes defended, and one interception over a 45-game span.

Panthers make major changes in 2023 offseason

Following their fifth straight losing season, the Panthers made several moves this offseason to revamp their roster. Firstly, they hired Frank Reich as their head coach in January after parting ways with Matt Rhule five games into the 2022 season.

Reich, who spent the past five seasons as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, brought in Thomas Brown from the Los Angeles Rams as his offense coordinator. He also added Ejiro Evero from the Broncos as defensive coordinator and former Colts and Lions head coach Jim Caldwell as a senior assistant.

Next, Carolina took a big leap by trading last year’s leading receiver DJ Moore as well as four draft picks — two firsts (2023, 2024) and two seconds (2023, 2025) — to Chicago for the right to draft No. 1 overall. The Panthers hope to find their future franchise quarterback with the pick and hired Josh McCown as quarterbacks coach to develop him. McCown played quarterback in the NFL for 16 seasons and enters the first year of his coaching career in Carolina.

The Panthers also made quite the splash in free agency. After shipping Moore to the Bears, they signed receivers Adam Thielen and DJ Chark to give their No. 1 pick some weapons in his rookie season. They also added tight end Hayden Hurst and running back Miles Sanders, fresh off his first 1,000-yard season with the Eagles.

Defensively, Carolina returns Pro Bowl linebacker Brian Burns, who led the team with 12.5 sacks in 2022. Leading tackler Shaq Thompson, cornerback Jaycee Horn and safety Xavier Woods all return as well to give Evero a solid core to work with.