Panthers: For Marquis Haynes, it’s all about speed
The Carolina Panthers rookie has been picking up tips from the veterans as OTAs continue on…
Speed. That is an intangible many football players live by. As the third week of Carolina Panthers OTAs continues on, “speed” is something that Mario Addison has preached to rookie defensive end Marquis Haynes. As Haynes told the Charlotte Observer on Wednesday, Addison has been drilling the concept of speed into his head.
"“Me and Mario talk, he said I’m a ‘young him,’ and that’s a big compliment right there. He tells me stories about how it took him awhile to learn the playbook and stuff. But one thing he keeps telling me is speed, speed off the ball, speed kills. And listening to him and learning from him, I see what it does when you have speed.”"
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Speed is something that the defensive lines have had in the past for the Carolina Panthers. It has been what has made them such a difficult team to gameplan against over the years. It was a hallmark of the 2015 Panthers squad that made it all the way to the Super Bowl. That year, they ranked fifth in the league in tackles with 1,149. In addition, they were tops in the league in giveaway/takeaway ratio with a +20 differential.
Haynes showed that speed while at Ole Miss. As a freshman, he recorded 31 tackles and 7.5 sacks, numbers that would only increase as the years progressed. His best year for the Rebels came as a sophomore in 2015. That year, he notched 43 tackles and 10 sacks in what was truly an impressive showing.
For his career at Ole Miss, which spanned four seasons, Haynes recorded 172 tackles and 32 sacks. The Carolina Panthers hope he can bring some of that energy to the defensive line.
The best thing Haynes can do is keep picking up tips from veterans like Addison and Julius Peppers. If Haynes can transfer his skills from the college ranks to the pros, he can truly be a tremendous asset to the Carolina Panthers defensive line.
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This team has a great mix of young talent and veterans on the defensive line that can help them win now and build for the future. It should be very fun to watch.