The biggest knock against the Carolina Panthers defense in recent memory, at least before the trade of Brian Burns, has been the subpar performance of the linebacking core aside from Shaq Thompson.
There have been many attempts to remedy this, some more effective than others. Going into this season, there was a perfectly reasonable amount of worry surrounding it considering how little was done in the Panthers' defense as a whole.
Enter Trevin Wallace.
The third-round pick was never expected to be a key contributor to start the season, but there was always potential there. That is the best way to look at the rookie linebacker's season.
Potential.
To say Wallace was thrown into the fire would be an understatement. Almost the entire defense fell apart as the season went on. From Shaq Thompson going down again and Josey Jewell being out for extended periods, fans got a great look at how the young second-level presence could handle the pressure.
Carolina Panthers saw encouraging growth from Trevin Wallace in 2024
When young players are forced into leadership roles, you have to take the good with the bad.
There was plenty of good to look at. Wallace communicated well and seemed to learn from every bad play or missed assignment. Where the rookie shined brightest was when Jewell allowed him to be instinctive and around the football consistently.
Wallace's biggest positive has always been his physical traits and ability to make plays. Something that isn't easily done when having to also read the offense pre-snap.
Statistically speaking, it may not seem like this is the case. But when you look more closely, you can see just how explosive and capable Wallace truly is.
The former Kentucky star had a career-high 15 tackles against the Chicago Bears and followed this up with nine versus the Atlanta Falcons. Both of these were ugly losses where the defense was gashed, so those numbers are a bit inflated but impressive nonetheless.
The Bears game was characterized by missed assignments and poor communication overall. That doesn't mean it was all bad. Just look at the two back-to-back short yardage stops in the second quarter where Wallace was able to stuff the running back and force a turnover on downs with less than a yard to gain.
This kind of impact cannot be overstated. Not many players are capable of a one-on-one tackle like that. Least of all a rookie.
Wallace's final game against the Philadelphia Eagles was a slightly different story. With the ability to be free from having to worry about leading the defense, he was turned loose and pursued the ball. For better or worse.
There were some bad angles and issues in pass coverage. There were equally as many spectacular stops in the run game and a nice tackle of Jalen Hurts after the quarterback evaded the initial rush.
That said, lateral quickness and the ability to shed blocks are something that can't be taught at the NFL level. This is the perfect foundation to build either an outside linebacker or someone on the inside depending on the scheme.
Give Wallace some time to develop and the Panthers could have a legitimate star on their hands.
Wallace needs work. However, not as much as some might think.
There are solid building blocks here. The rookie may never be a middle linebacker in the NFL and that is fine. Outside linebackers are just as vital. That could be where the Panthers deploy him moving forward.
Carolina may just have finally found its linebacker of the future. But a critical offseason to refine his craft awaits.