:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/12162411/20121004_ajl_al2_240.0.jpg)
Star Lotulelei has been drafted by the Carolina Panthers with the 14th pick in the first-round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He'll join former Utes Steve Smith and Jordan Gross in Charlotte.
Lotulelei's draft position took a hit a bit lately after the news of a potential heart problem a couple months ago. Though he's been fully cleared, the news certainly scared off some GMs as they evaluated the risk of taking him with a high draft pick.
Still, Lotulelei was selected in the first round, a pretty great accomplishment for any player, and maybe he'll play with a bit of a chip on his shoulder - especially since he went behind BYU's Ziggy Ansah.
Congratulations to Star on an amazing collegiate career and what I fully expect to be a fantastic professional one as well.
He's earned it.