The last time a No. 24 walked onto the Bank of America Stadium practice fields, Josh Norman was wearing the gold cleats he named "fast Fridays."

On this Friday, the Carolina Panthers' new No. 24 walked into his first pro practice with a more modest look.

Two weeks after the Panthers used a second-round pick on cornerback James Bradberry, the Samford product is the favorite to fill the large hole in the lineup left by Norman. Replacing the exact jersey number was just a coincidence.

"When I picked the number I was just picking a nice number," Bradberry said after Friday's first rookie minicamp practice.

"It wasn't any shade or shots out to him or anything like that."

Bradberry wore No. 21 in college, but in Carolina, that's currently owned by cornerback Teddy Williams. The next best thing? A number with some solid recent history.

"I've seen guys in the past like Champ Bailey, Darrelle Revis, and of course, I've seen Josh Norman play in it last year," Bradberry said.

The parallels between Norman and Bradberry go beyond just the number. Both came into the league from small schools: Bradberry's Bulldogs are in the Southern Conference while Norman was in the Big South during his days at Coastal Carolina. But Bradberry believes the NFL's big-school dynamic is changing.

"It's more small-school players in the league now so of course we can play," he said. "I feel like we prove that whether it's at the combine, the All-star games, or just playing on Sundays. I feel like we are just as good as the big-school players."

And as the new No. 24 starts to get used to his new surroundings, he's aware that he'll have to come out of his shell to fit in with the big boys.

"I had a few butterflies when I first walked out here, but it was fun,” Bradberry said. “I feel like I spoke well and in this defense you've got to be able to communicate. I'm not a very sociable guy; I don't talk a lot. But I feel like I got the job done when I came here today."