Iowa draft prospect takes inspiration from Panthers legend Luke Kuechly

Defense figures to be the main name of the game for Dave Canales’s team. The new NFL fiscal year begins in less than two weeks. While there were some signs of life by second-year quarterback Bryce Young, the same can’t be said for the other side of the ball. The 2024 Carolina Panthers could not stop the run, surrendered an NFL-high 35 TD passes and gave up a single-season NFL record 534 points.

General manager Dan Morgan has a lot to do over the next few months to plus all the leaks. The team has already made it clear that veteran inside linebacker Shaq Thompson will not be back with the organization. Could the Panthers have a (Hawk)eye on a player that appears to have Carolina on his mind?

Heed the words of University of Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins.

Luke Kuechly, of course, was a 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist. In his first season in Carolina, after four years with the Broncos, Josey Jewell finished second on the club with 97 tackles. He also totaled 3.5 sacks, finished with seven passes defensed, and had three of the Panthers’ 17 takeaways. All this despite missing five games.

As far as a pro prospect, NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein had this to say about Higgins.

“Despite physical and athletic limitations, Higgins racked up tackles and awards over the last two seasons. He’s built like a downhill running back and delivers power behind his pads like one. Instincts feed his gaudy production, but a lack of length and twitch lead to him getting stuck on blocks when he’s not playing downhill. He lacks change-of-direction quickness and isn’t fast enough to capture outside runners.

“Higgins shouldn’t be asked to handle man coverage as a pro, but he’s above average as a zone defender. He has three-down talent and coverage value but his limitations create small margins for error and large obstacles to overcome.”

Could the Panthers wind up grabbing Higgins on Day 3 of the draft? Jewell was a fourth-round pick by the Broncos in 2018.

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