Cat Crave
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Mack Wilson would bring youth to Carolina Panthers linebackers

By Danny Jaillet

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Mack Wilson #30 of the Alabama Crimson Tide returns an interception for a touchdown in the second half of the AllState Sugar Bowl against the Clemson Tigers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 1, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Mack Wilson #30 of the Alabama Crimson Tide returns an interception for a touchdown in the second half of the AllState Sugar Bowl against the Clemson Tigers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 1, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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Wilson would be an interesting pick for an aging Panthers linebacker group.

We have heard a lot of predictions in regards to who the Carolina Panthers will take with the 16th overall pick in the NFL Draft. What we haven’t had a lot of when it comes to these mock drafts is who the Panthers are projected to take in the following rounds. Although these mock drafts mean nothing is set in stone, it is interesting to see what names fly off the board for the Panthers.

In a mock draft published by Luke Easterling of Draftwire.com, the Carolina Panthers will take a linebacker with the 47th overall pick in the second round. I certainly do not mind the pick, especially since he is a product of Alabama football. The candidate? Alabama linebacker Mack Wilson is the name that has come up. For starters, I like the fact that the projection gives the Panthers something that they could use to fill the linebacker spot. That is a position that certainly needs an upgrade.

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Of course, you have Luke Kuechly and Shaq Thompson manning the position, but there is going to be a big hole to fill with the departure of Thomas Davis. He was a key part of the Carolina defense for many years and now, the Panthers need to find a player that can fill the void. This is especially true if they plan to implement the 3-4 defensive scheme as has been reported. Wilson will be able to do that.

Wilson recorded 65 tackles and a sack in 14 contests last season. He also recorded two interceptions, showing his versatility as a linebacker. For his Alabama career, he has tallied 113 tackles and six interceptions in 14 games.

When you watch his highlights, you have to like what you see. Wilson is a disruptive force and can get in the backfield in a hurry. He has tremendous speed coming off the snap. He may not always make the tackle on a run play, but just his presence in the backfield makes the running back hesitate enough so that it blows up the play. As long as you throw off the timing of the running back, you are doing something right.

He also is quick enough to where he can be effective in coverage. As soon as the quarterback throws the ball to a slot receiver for instance, Wilson can come down and make the tackle. Coverage is certainly important, but so is having a linebacker that is quick enough to provide tackling support for the secondary. Particularly in a one-on-one situation, tackling is a lot harder than it looks. Wilson has the intangibles to run over and provide support to the secondary.

What could he bring to the Panthers? He can bring speed to a linebacker position that was at times a bit slower than it should have been. That will certainly be helpful in a league that has made passing the football a priority. The fact that he brings a multitude of skills to the linebacker position would be important for Carolina, especially as versatile players become more important in today’s National Football League.

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