Brandon LaFell

Brandon LaFell (born November 4, 1986) is a wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers of the NFL. He was selected with the 78th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. LaFell is considered one of the best wide receivers in his class, and draws comparisons to Dwayne Bowe.

High school career
LaFell attended Lamar High School in Houston, where he caught 46 passes for 1,116 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior. Also starring on special teams, he returned punts of 65 and 58 yards for touchdowns. LaFell was a member of the Houston Chronicle Top 100 and named first-team All-Greater Houston Area in 2004.

Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, LaFell was listed as the No. 32 wide receiver prospect in the nation.

College career
After redshirting his initial year at LSU, LaFell saw action in 11 of the Tigers’ 13 games in 2006. His first career play was a 58-yard touchdown reception against Louisiana-Lafayette in week one. On the year, LaFell caught five passes that went for 140 yards and two touchdowns. He received Freshman All-SEC honors by the coaches.

In 2007, LaFell played in all 14 games with nine starts. He ranked first on team in receiving yards (656) and second in receptions (50), while catching four TD passes and averaging 13.1 yards a reception. LaFell helped LSU to win the BCS National Championship that year.

As a junior, LaFell emerged as one of the top receivers in the country, as he caught 63 passes for 929 yards and eight touchdowns. He ranked No. 2 in the SEC in yards per game with 71.5 per contest and was No. 3 in the league with 4.8 receptions per contest. LaFell subsequently earned First-Team All-SEC honors by the Associated Press.

2010 NFL Draft
On April 23, 2010, LaFell was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the third round, 78th overall. Despite not starting over Steve Smith and David Gettis, he gradually gained playing time, eventually taking the #3 slot at receiver. He recorded his first NFL touchdown in Week 8 against the St. Louis Rams, a 17 yard pass from Matt Moore.

He finished the season with 38 catches for 468 yards; his longest catch was of 44 yards. He also gained 60 additional yards on the ground, all of which came on a single end-around play in week 17 against the Atlanta Falcons, his longest gain of the season.