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Carolina Panthers: Jordan Kunaszyk is an intriguing bubble player

By Danny Jaillet

BERKELEY, CA - OCTOBER 13: Jordan Kunaszyk #59 of the California Golden Bears celebrates after intercepting a pass against the Washington State Cougars during the third quarter of their NCAA football game at California Memorial Stadium on October 13, 2017 in Berkeley, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
BERKELEY, CA - OCTOBER 13: Jordan Kunaszyk #59 of the California Golden Bears celebrates after intercepting a pass against the Washington State Cougars during the third quarter of their NCAA football game at California Memorial Stadium on October 13, 2017 in Berkeley, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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He could have a chance to make an impact for the Carolina Panthers.

Training camp is always fun. Every single year, some unknown player surprises everyone and plays well during the preseason. With the Carolina Panthers defense comprised of star rookies and key veterans, you might be hard-pressed to find a player on that side of football fitting of that description. Jordan Kunaszyk could be that guy.

As a sophomore at the University of California, he played in 12 games recording 47 tackles and an interception. Those are not necessarily numbers that stand out, but they do matter when talking about his progression. As a junior in 2017, he recorded 74 tackles and 3.5 sacks. He recorded two interceptions and a forced fumble to boot. The progression was certainly there.

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Finally, it seemed like everything came to fruition during his senior season. Last year, he played in 13 games recording 143 tackles and four sacks. Snagging an interception and forcing five fumbles, he finally had the breakout season that he wanted. Now, he has to take that energy and try to perform at the next level.

It’s no secret that the Carolina Panthers linebacking unit is getting younger. Luke Kuechly is perhaps one of the older players on the unit, and Shaq Thompson will be looked upon for leadership. Truthfully, I can’t think of two better guys to fill the leadership roles. However, the influx of the youth has allowed us to get familiar with names we haven’t heard before. They are perhaps names you might need to get familiar with in the future.

The Charlotte Observer did a piece on the Carolina Panthers defense on Wednesday. In one of the segments of their piece, they named an “Underdog to Watch.”  Kunaszyk was the subject. They recognized that he has tremendous potential, and how he seems to have a nose for the football.

"Undrafted rookie Jordan Kunaszyk might not be on many people’s radars, but he impressed coaches during spring workouts and has a chance to be this year’s surprise roster spot. As a senior at Cal in 2018, he racked up 148 tackles. But he’ll also need to contribute on special teams if the Panthers are to keep him around."

Special-teams will probably be the name of the game for him in order to stay on the roster. Once he establishes himself there, he may be able to crack the Carolina Panthers linebacking unit. As an undrafted free agent, everything may seem a little tougher. It’s all part of the fun of training camp, and he was have to work even harder to prove that he is more than just a throw-in on the roster.

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