The brief history of Carolina Panthers football is built on the shoulders of all-time great linebackers. Jon Beason, Thomas Davis, Sam Mills, Dan Morgan, and Shaq Thompson are a handful of the luminaries that define the franchise's unquestioned premiere position group. However, above them all, stands Luke Kuechly.
Kuechly is the greatest defensive player to ever wear Process Blue. His accolades speak for themselves. 2012 NFL Rookie of the Year. 2013 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Five-time first-team All-Pro. Twice the league leader in tackles. The sheer number of recognitions Kuechly received is mind-boggling, and his film isn't half bad either.
Carolina added a linebacker in the third round of the 2024 NFL with the hope of him becoming even half of the player that Kuechly was. Through a full offseason and a handful of games, Trevin Wallace isn't quite on the Kuechly trajectory, but his early returns are promising. In his first career NFL start against the Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon, Wallace channeled his inner Luke Kuechly.
The rookie linebacker became the first Panther since Kuechly to record 15+ tackles in a game as a rookie. He also was the first Carolina defender to amass 15 or more tackles since, you guessed it, Luke Kuechly in week 15 of 2019. Wallace told reported this summer that he had spent time watching film of Panthers' linebackers like Kuechly, and he went on to remind onlookers of the franchise legend in his first extended NFL action.
Wallace was flying around the field on Sunday afternoon. The impressive first-year linebacker showed his play-recognition skills and sure-handed tackling ability when he stuffed Bears' running back D'Andre Swift on back to back plays near halftime, prematurely ending a Chicago drive on fourth down. His quick assimilation to NFL play was a bright spot in a dreary afternoon. With Shaq Thompson on season-ending injured reserve and Josey Jewell sidelined for an extended period of time, Wallace projects to see an increased snap count in coming weeks.
