5 Carolina Panthers players who could become household names in 2023

Frankie Luvu - Carolina Panthers LB

The fourth player on this list was one that was hinted at earlier. It's one that has the potential to be an even better player than he already is right now, which is a good thought for the Carolina Panthers but a bad one for opposing offenses.

Frankie Luvu emerged in 2022 as a critical piece of Carolina's defense thanks to his outstanding versatility in the box and working in coverage drops. This is the type of player I believe Ejiro Evero will enjoy having this season.

Luvu entered the 2022 campaign as a rotational part of the linebacking corps. Within just the first couple of weeks, he had already supplanted himself as one of the better players on the front seven. The former New York Jet went on to have a breakout year with more than 100 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, and seven sacks.

This year, he might just add to that production in Evero's scheme. Luvu isn't the biggest linebacker and yes, there are times when he would get washed out in the run game, which led to some of the flaws in the Panthers run defense last season.

What the former Washington State Cougar does well, though, is attacks downhill with explosiveness, and elite athleticism to overwhelm opposing blockers while having the long speed to carry tight ends and slot receivers down the seam.

Luvu is one of the more underrated second-level defenders in the game. Another 2022-like campaign from No. 49 could catapult him into the conversation for being of the better linebackers in the league.