Former Panthers star reveals just how dominant Luke Kuechly really was

Last week was great for Carolina Panthers fans, as they witnessed their all-time standout linebacker, Luke Kuechly, be chosen for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And his former teammates have been glowing in their praise ever since.

The 2013 Defensive Player of the Year and arguably the greatest linebacker of the 2010s saw his career cut short in 2019. Concussion issues and the physical demands of the game forced him to retire in January of 2020.

The Panthers were lucky to have a player like Kuechly during the most magical period of the franchise, alongside Cam Newton, Ron Rivera, Thomas Davis, Julius Peppers, and Kawann Short, just to name a handful of players who made historic impacts for the organization.

As Kuechly begins the process of being enshrined into Canton this summer, former teammates, coaches, and opponents are sharing their stories of one of the great linebackers ever. One in particular is one of the NFL's best running backs and spent time with Kuechly for the first three years of his career.

Christian McCaffrey shares Carolina Panthers practice stories of Luke Kuechly's dominance

Drafted by Carolina with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Christian McCaffrey quickly became one of the league's best running backs with his outstanding versatility at both a runner and a wide receiver, often lining up out wide or in the slot as a true three-down weapon in the Panthers or San Francisco 49ers offense, where he was traded to in 2022.

McCaffrey has a lot of experience facing the Boston College product in what seemed like hundreds of practices from 2017 to 2019. On the Bussin' with the Boys podcast, hosted by former NFL stars Will Compton and Taylor Lewan, the All-Pro spoke on Kuechly's greatness ahead of Super Bowl LX, which included being a menace during practice each week.

"This is what I'll say about Luke: he could have wrecked every practice, but he understood the need to give the offenses a look, and he was the best practice player I've ever been around. He would do his job, and on tape, you'd be like, 'Well, Luke would have made that tackle.' But he tagged off, or he let you finish the play. He wasn't—when it was time to go, I mean, he'd kill you. He'd do whatever he wanted."

Christian McCaffrey

Everyone acknowledges the smarts that Kuechly possesses, even to this day, as a former NFL star.

He was excellent on ESPN's experimental simulcast, where he and Dan Orlovsky broke down the game in real time. McCaffrey added that while the second-level enforcer had rare football intelligence, he was also a freak athlete at the position, showcasing the rare combination that made him one of the greatest ever.

"People don't give him enough credit for how physically unbelievable he was. I would watch him box jump boxes his height, and run [a] 4.4 [40-yard dash]. He was insane. He was an unbelievable athlete. Shredded, dude, all the things that you would want in a linebacker. He was those two. But because he was so smart, that's all people talk about, but he was an absolute freak, man."

Christian McCaffrey

This is unlikely to be the last of many stories on Kuechly's time in the NFL. His impact shaped many careers, affected many games, and established a legacy that has earned him induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

No one is more deserving than No. 59.