CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Jeff King and Jermaine Hardy have played against each other for many years.

When King toiled for Pulaski County, Hardy played for then-Roanoke Valley District rival William Fleming. When King played for Virginia Tech, Hardy played for Virginia.

Now they are teammates. Their football careers have intersected with the Carolina Panthers, and they are trying to make the regular-season roster.

"I'm anxious, but you've just got to go about your business," Hardy said Saturday after some weight lifting and meetings at Bank of America Stadium. "It'll drive you crazy if you keep thinking, 'Am I going to get cut?' "

Hardy, who made his NFL debut last season, is a third-string free safety. King, a rookie, is a fourth-string tight end. But no matter their place in the depth chart, they wear NFL uniforms.

"It's a chance of a lifetime," King said. "You definitely have to step back and be in awe just for a second. That kind of came early on; now it's just trying to get a job, trying to fit in."

This is a crucial week for both. The Panthers must trim their roster from 80 players to 75 on Tuesday and must get down to the 53-man limit Saturday. Next week, Carolina can bring back eight players for its practice squad.

"You play as well as you can play and you see where it falls," said King, whose team visits Pittsburgh in its final exhibition game Thursday. "If you know you did the best you could possibly do in your heart, then ... [it's not] worth worrying over."

The two players are thrilled to be on an NFL team so near where they grew up. Their families have come down for the home exhibition games.

"It's good to be so close -- I can always shoot home," Hardy said. "I'm a homebody. I like being away, but not too far away."

King was chosen by Carolina in the fifth round of the NFL Draft last April. He has tried to impress his new team in minicamp practices, training camp and preseason games.

"I've played hard. I've studied hard. I've prepared," King said. "I definitely feel like I can play at this level. Once you're in a game situation or in practice and you block someone, you realize you're just as good as anybody at this level."

King had 11 career touchdown catches at Tech, the school record for a tight end. He has yet to catch a pass in an exhibition game, though.

The 5-foot-10, 218-pound Hardy signed with the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent last year. He was cut at the end of the preseason but was signed to Arizona's practice squad last September. He was released from Arizona's practice squad after only one week, but Carolina signed him to its practice squad just three days later.

Panthers coach John Fox would tell Hardy, "Be ready, Jermaine. You never know."

Hardy did not practice in vain. Carolina promoted him to the regular roster last December. An excited Hardy played on special teams in three games; his highlight was forcing a fumble by Dallas kickoff return man Tyson Thompson. Hardy didn't play in the playoffs because of a hamstring injury.

"He's real tough. He's very physical," said Carolina safeties coach Mike Gillhamer, whose team hosts Atlanta in its Sept. 10 season opener. "He's not a real big guy, but ... he hits real well. ... He's held his own pretty well with his [lack of] size."

And what if their NFL careers end soon? Hardy, who had a coaching internship at a North Carolina high school last spring, will return to UVa to take the one course he needs to get his bachelor's degree in psychology. King already has a bachelor's degree in finance and a master's degree in education, so he will make use of them.

"You can't play football forever," King said.