Brayton eager for fresh start

Ex-Raider could fill need for Panthers

CHARLOTTE -- We don't know if Tyler Brayton will take over at left defensive end for the Carolina Panthers. We don't know whether he can become a solid complement to Julius Peppers.

We don't know because you can tell so little from the three weeks of offseason workouts last month. The goal of offseason training activities is to learn the team's plays -- not smash and be smashed, thereby preventing injuries from piling up before the start of training camp July 25.

So the players wear helmets and no pads. Brayton looked good in OTAs, but then everyone does. Camp will be different, with the intensity ratcheted up and Brayton ramming into Carolina's revamped and enlarged offensive line.

There in Spartanburg, S.C., someone -- whether it's Brayton or one of the youngsters, Stanley McClover or Charles Johnson -- must assert himself and take control of the position if the Panthers' defense is to be of playoff quality.

But for now, at least, Brayton feels reborn in the sport.

Brayton was supposed to be a star. Oakland drafted him out of Colorado in the first round in 2003, but then spent the next five years trying to decide what to do with him. The Raiders worked him at defensive end and outside linebacker. He even played a little defensive tackle in passing situations.

By the time those five seasons were up, Brayton had a total of six sacks and no contract offer from Oakland. Other teams were interested, including Carolina, which was losing Mike Rucker to retirement. So Brayton came east to try again, signing a two-year deal.

"Absolutely it's a fresh start," he said after a workout this month. "We'll see how it plays out. But I'm excited to be here; I've got nothing but positive feelings. It's a nice change.

"The guys have been real good. Any time you come into a new situation, it's tough just trying to get to know people and understand people's personalities, but that'll take care of itself over time."

Brayton also admitted that trying to live up to that "No. 1 pick" status was difficult.

"Yeah, there's always a little bit of pressure; anytime you're out on the field there's pressure, no matter where you came from. But I definitely felt pressure from myself; that I wanted to succeed, to push myself to my best. And when that didn't happen, when I didn't have personal success or team success, I took it pretty hard."

Now he finally gets to settle in one position.

"It's great," Brayton said. "That's all you want in this league, for someone to define your role and then you just go out and do the best you can."

The Panthers had their eyes on Brayton when he came into the league.

"We go all the way back to evaluating him coming out of college," coach John Fox said. "He was a high draft pick that never really found a spot. But we liked the way he played; we liked his heart and his aggressiveness and how he competed snap to whistle."

Asked what he specifically liked about Brayton, Fox said, "He's got physical skills; most first-round picks do. He's got the ability to run, he's got good height and good leverage and really it's just a matter of when he plays, he plays very, very hard."