SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Avius Capers went from fish to training camp with the Carolina Panthers.

After not getting the callback following his time in the Panthers rookie minicamp, Capers worked at a Charlotte restaurant, hoping to get another chance at the NFL. The call came just before camp opened.

“It was like last minute, because I worked at Mr. Charles’ Chicken & Fish in Charlotte,” explained Capers. “I thought it was over for me until like the season started. Then [the Panthers] called me, and said ‘Oh we’re going to bring you in for a workout.’ I probably had four days, but I’ve been working out though so I was good and prepared. I came here, did good in the workout, and then they said they were going to bring me in for training camp.”

A Charlotte native, Capers attended Independence High, graduated Johnson C. Smith and dreamed of playing for the Panthers while at both. After the initial disappointment of not being signed in May, he has an opportunity.

“I got a job to keep my mind off it a little bit,” Capers said. “[In] rookie camp, there [weren’t] as many receivers, and I was able to get more reps, but now, I’ve got to wait my turn. I’m already at the bottom of the depth chart, but it’s worth it. I’m here.”

While high school football in Charlotte draws large crowds, and college football presents a larger version of that experience, Capers had never experienced the passion of a Panthers crowd.

“It’s real big,” said Capers of the Spartanburg training camp atmosphere. “I’ve never seen this many fans before, or practiced in front of this many fans. It’s real big. I’ve got to get used to it—everybody wanting to sign autographs and this much attention.”  

At 5-foot-9, Capers does not have the height of receivers like Kelvin Benjamin (6-foot-5) or Devin Funchess (6-foot-4), but as a small physical player, he has always tried to emulate former Panthers receiver Steve Smith, who is the same size.

“I add another body,” said Capers. “When somebody gets hurt or when somebody is fatigued or anything, I can come in and replace them and it won’t be a downfall.”

Over 38 games at JCSU, Capers scored 13 touchdowns and recorded 136 receptions for 1,554 yards. Quiet and reserved, Capers has become an inspiration for his former teammates who've seen him get the opportunity of a lifetime.

“He was on our team,” Golden Bulls linebacker Austin Jacques said at CIAA football media day last week. “Between him and Jovantay Williams [former Smith defensive end]—they brought those experiences back and told us and that was motivation for us to continue to strive and do better. It lets you know that it doesn’t matter where you come from—it’s about the work that you put in to get better.”    

JCSU has not had an alumnus on an NFL roster in 22 years when receiver Greg Clifton and offensive tackle Donnell Johnson played for Washington and Cincinnati respectively.

“I just had to be ready,” Capers said. “I’ve accomplished one goal so far. Everybody wants to make it to the 53 [-man roster]. We’ve never won the Super Bowl—that would be something big for our home team.”    



    

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