Are the Carolina Panthers wearing their heart on their sleeve again?
Head coach Dave Canales joined the set of Up & Adams during the annual league meetings on Monday. Host Kay Adams, in an attempt to pry some potentially juicy details out of Canales, brought up University of Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker—the perceived frontrunner for Carolina's first-round pick later this month.
Adams told Canales that she'll be having Walker on the show this Thursday, and asked him what she should ask the 21-year-old draft prospect.
"Just ask him about how he impacts his teammates," Canales replied. "Every single Georgia Bulldog we talk to, they talk about Jalon Walker. They talk about the accountability, the way that he pulls the whole group together, the way that he plays with his hair on fire and communicates and all those things. And so, I think there's just intangibles about the guy that are really special."
Those intangibles may help bring together a new-look defense for the Panthers. Carolina began the heavy portion of their offseason by extending cornerback Jaycee Horn and signing four free-agent defenders—linemen Tershawn Wharton and Bobby Brown III, outside linebacker Pat Jones II and safety Tre'von Moehrig—on the first day of the legal tampering period.
Walker, who can play as both a pass rusher and an off-ball linebacker, is one of the favorites to be taken with the eighth overall selection. The Salisbury, N.C. native is fresh off a decorated 2024 campaign—where he was named a first-team All-American, a second-team All-SEC member and the Butkus Award winner.
