Carolina Panthers select Tyler Gaffney: Cardinal running back headed to North Carolina

Physical football teams like to do one thing in the draft: get more physical.

The Carolina Panthers did just that on Saturday, selecting Tyler Gaffney with the 28th pick of the 6th round, adding the bruising runner to the NFC South champs.

Gaffney is now one of the players that can boast he was picked in the NFL draft and the MLB draft, an achievement that seems crazy given that he announced he was returning to football just a little more than a year ago. 1,700+ yards and 20 touchdowns later, and he's headed to an NFL training camp.

However, this might not be a great spot for Gaffney to go - the Panthers' backfield is almost totally swamped with talent at the moment. Gaffney should get a few goal-line carries if Ron Rivera insists on having a running back carry the ball instead of Cam Newton, but with DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart and Kenjon Barner ahead of him, it's far too hard to tell at the moment.

So why did the Panthers pick Gaffney? New running backs coach Lance Taylor, formerly of the Carolina Panthers, may have put in the call for a guy he saw up close after coming to the Farm.

However it shakes out, the Panthers' colors are pretty fitting for Tyler Gaffney: black and blue.

finally @TyGaff good luck homie

— Chase Thomas (@CTcard44) May 10, 2014

Go ball homie @TyGaff

— Drew Terrell (@RealontheRise04) May 10, 2014

Tyler Gaffney to Panthers on 204th pick. ESPN's Bill Polian: "He gets every yard there is to get. I wouldn't bet against him.'' @StanfordFB

— Tom FitzGerald (@tomgfitzgerald) May 10, 2014

Now that Johnny has been picked. Is the draft over?

— Tyler Gaffney (@TyGaff) May 9, 2014

Thankfully not, no!