CHARLOTTE Daniel Jones Jersey , N.C. (AP) — All it took for the Carolina Panthers to land All-Pro defensive tackle Gerald McCoy was a one-year deal worth up to $10.25 million — and a vegan lunch with some future teammates.When some of Carolina’s core players heard general manager Marty Hurney was considering signing the free agent defensive tackle, they organized a lunch at a local vegan restaurant during McCoy’s visit to Charlotte last week knowing the 31-year-old McCoy had given up eating meat five months ago.Luke Kuechly, Greg Olsen, Kawann Short, Shaq Thompson, Trai Turner and Christian McCaffrey all attended the lunch, hoping to convince their former division rival to sign with Carolina rather than the Baltimore Ravens or Cleveland Browns, the other two teams who were courting the six-time Pro Bowler.It worked better than the Panthers could have imagined.McCoy said the lunch — and camaraderie he noticed with the players — was a big reason why he signed with the Panthers.“Instant chemistry,” McCoy said Tuesday at an introductory news conference.McCoy said it felt as if he was back in high school again being recruited by Oklahoma.He recognized that the players could have been doing something else, but said it felt special that they showed up to give him a sales pitch and eat at a restaurant they normally wouldn’t visit.“I left that lunch feeling I could fit right in here Dexter Lawrence Jersey ,” McCoy said.The 31-year-old McCoy has been one of the better players at his position over the past nine seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and is the only NFL defensive tackle with at least six sacks in each of the past six seasons. He has 296 tackles and 54½ sacks during his career.Hurney said in a statement that “it’s great to have Gerald on our side now. We are very familiar with his skillset.”McCoy likes being on the same team as quarterback Cam Newton instead of chasing the former 2015 league MVP around the field twice a year.He’s admired Newton from a distance, calling him “the best escape artist in the league.”McCoy’s son is a big fan of Newton too, always using him to play on Madden football.McCoy isn’t worried about where he will fit in on Carolina’s defensive line, one that will rotate between a three- and four-man front this year.“In this league you have to be a Swiss army knife,” McCoy said. “And (defensive coordinator) Eric Washington has a great plan in place where we can move guys around.”McCoy said he’s a loyal team player.At Oklahoma he supported his school by going to volleyball, basketball and baseball games.That said, he doesn’t seem to have any ill feelings toward the Bucs jettisoning him after nine seasons and quickly giving away his No. 93 jersey to replacement Ndamukong Suh.“Business is business,” McCoy said. In 2012 Peyton Manning was released by the Colts. At that point, my perspective on this league changed. If you can let a person like Peyton Manning go Deandre Baker Jersey , then anybody can be released. It’s a business.” JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars got some much-needed help for new quarterback Nick Foles.Jacksonville moved up three spots to choose Florida right tackle Jawaan Taylor in the second round Friday night and then selected San Jose State tight end Josh Oliver in the third. Both should be step-in starters for an offense that ranked last in the NFL in touchdowns (22) in 2018.The Jaguars also picked Murray State linebacker Quincy Williams late in the third round (No. 98 overall), adding the older brother of New York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. The Jets took Quinnen Williams with the third overall pick.Taylor replaces veteran Jermey Parnell, who was let go before free agency. Oliver supplants Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who caught 11 passes in five games in his only season in Jacksonville.The Jaguars had planned to add pieces around Foles, who signed a four-year, $88 million contract that included $50.125 million guaranteed. But the team changed direction when Kentucky defensive end Josh Allen fell to No. 7 in the first round Thursday.The Jags turned their attention to the other side of the ball in Day 2.They sent picks 38 and 109 (fourth round) to Oakland in exchange for Nos. 35, 140 (fifth) and 235 (seventh). General manager Dave Caldwell said he failed to trade into the bottom of the first round to grab Taylor, who grew up about two hours down the road in Cocoa and lost 80 pounds to land a scholarship with the Gators.Taylor, who spends much of his free time fishing Oshane Ximines Jersey , said staying in the Sunshine State was the ideal scenario. How it happened left the 6-foot-5, 312-pound lineman perplexed and perturbed.There were reports that a torn meniscus in 2017 caused teams some concern, but Caldwell said Jacksonville’s doctors had no worries about Taylor’s health. Taylor skipped the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and his on-campus pro day because of a strained hamstring.“The medical reports are definitely false. I’m 100 percent healthy and ready to go,” said Taylor, who stayed in Nashville, Tennessee, for the draft and got his moment on the big stage. “It hurt a little bit last night that you couldn’t see the reason was why I didn’t get picked. …I’m a little upset, but everything happens for a reason.”Taylor fills the team’s most gaping hole, where Jacksonville let 32-year-old Parnell walk and have little depth at the position.The Jags signed former Cincinnati right tackle Cedric Ogbuehi to a one-year deal in free agency and re-signed oft-injured Josh Wells. They also drafted Will Richardson in the fourth round in 2018. But none of them was considered a long-term answer at the position.Taylor is. He was a three-year starter at Florida and part of an offensive line that allowed just 18 sacks in 2018. He spent the last few months honing his technique with veteran NFL offensive line coach Bob Palcic in Pensacola.He also had a private workout with Jacksonville, doing enough to land on the team’s radar — and prompt Caldwell and personnel chief Tom Coughlin to scramble to get him in the second round.“We thought that he would be long gone by then Julian Love Jersey ,” Caldwell said. “He’s big, strong and powerful.”So is the 6-foot-5, 250-pound Oliver, who will compete with newcomer Geoff Swaim for playing time.Oliver’s specialty is getting open. He had 98 receptions for 1,067 yards and seven touchdowns in four seasons with the Spartans. He caught 56 passes for 709 yards and four touchdowns as a senior in 2018 despite San Jose State starting three different quarterbacks.“I definitely like to (pattern) my game after (Hall of Famer) Tony Gonzalez,” Oliver said. “As a freshman coming in, my college coach showed me a lot of Tony Gonzalez’s tape so I like to do as much as he can because I consider him one of the greatest to ever play.”