6 linebackers the Panthers could draft in 2020
By Dean Jones
The linebacker position is now one of need for the Carolina Panthers heading into the 2020 NFL Draft thanks to the retirement of Luke Kuechy.
The Carolina Panthers will need to find a long-term replacement for legendary linebacker Luke Kuechly in the 2020 NFL Draft. The organization was rocked by the perennial All-Pro’s retirement this offseason after a glittering eight-year spell with the franchise.
While the decision might have been the correct one for Kuechly’s long-term health, it was a body blow for the Panthers’ defense. The player’s presence would have been vital in 2020 given the overall strength of the NFC South.
This has left the decision-makers in Carolina with quite a predicament. They did sign Tahir Whitehead from the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency. But it would be prudent for the franchise to look at a younger alternative to the outstanding Kuechly.
The Panthers might not want to believe it, but they are in a rebuilding phase that was only heightened by Kuechly’s departure. What the franchise does at the position over the next couple of seasons is going to go a long way to determining their ambitions.
It is hard to imagine Carolina without Kuechly. And one suspects it is going to take quite some time to fill the void. The Panthers can give themselves the best possible chance by drafting someone with the same traits who can pick up the team’s ethos and way of playing immediately.
With just eight selections heading into the NFL Draft, there is no margin for error from the Panthers’ perspective.
Here are six prospects that will be worth considering later this month.