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Luke Kuechly - The Right Choice

Apr 27 2012 06:53 AM | Zod in Carolina Panthers

Luke Kuechly Carolina Panthers

Two Words... Phillip Dillard

Who is that you ask? Most casual Panthers fans don't know. He was the backup middle linebacker to Jon Beason. Phillip Dillard, the 6'0 4th round draft pick of 2010 waived by the Giants and signed to the Panthers practice squad. If Beason went down this season again, Dillard was our guy. Yikes.

Put yourself in Hurney and Rivera's shoes. Yes, your interior DL is hurting, but you have two young prospects already taken in the third round last season. You also have a veteran coming back who did not play a down last season to rotate in and out with the young guys.

Now look at your LB needs. You have three terrific linebackers. Davis probably won't play a full season again due to three ACL injuries, I'm sorry to say. Beason is an all pro but coming off a torn achilles. His prognosis is good, but their are no guarantees. James Anderson is the only player on the squad that is a high level pro linebacker who stands a good chance of starting and finishing the season.

So on draft day this kid Luke Kuechly drops in your lap. He is the best LB in the draft. He played in a very similar LB scheme at Boston College. He is smart, very smart. He is also probably automatically the best cover LB on the squad in a division full of talented TE's. He can play in the middle, he can play in the outside. Hell, I bet he could play fullback. He can shore up a ton of questions marks going into the season.

In short, he gives the Panthers the most value at #9 than any other player on the board and we are lucky to have him.

They got it right.

56 Comments

GotSwag?

Apr 27 2012 06:56 AM

Well said. I agree 100%. I didnt originally, but after actually doing research on LK, Im on board.

Cracka McNasty

Apr 27 2012 06:58 AM

nope.

hope I'm wrong though.

beastson

Apr 27 2012 07:00 AM

Listen we're definitely not going through what we went through last year. ST turn a big hurting from injuries at LB. You forgot to mention Connor no longer here as well

JawnyBlaze

Apr 27 2012 07:00 AM

Well, I still believe you don't pick a player at #9 "in case one of your starters goes down" unless you're set at all your other position groups. I'm slowly but surely making myself appreciate this pick though. I've never doubted Kuechly's talent level, and if the defensive guru Rivera thinks we need three 1st round picks and a 3rd round pick in our LB corps, then I'm on board. Long live Rivera.

FLPaNtHeR

Apr 27 2012 07:01 AM

I think in few years when we look back at 2012 nfl draft this will be one of the best picks! Great pick imo and lets get it done in round 2!

osd22

Apr 27 2012 07:02 AM

I think in few years when we look back at 2012 nfl draft this will be one of the best picks! Great pick imo and lets get it done in round 2!

100% agree

JefDav84

Apr 27 2012 07:05 AM

You couldn't have summed this up any better. Everything you said is exactly how I viewed it. With questions at linebacker, and a young developing D-line, this was the obvious choice.

Rags

Apr 27 2012 07:07 AM

I'd like to see what Ron does with the kid.

He's really versatile, and athletic, can cover pretty well too.

Wonder if he's any good on blitzes.

CatofWar

Apr 27 2012 07:17 AM

Anderson, beason, and kuechly. That's a strong fuging corps. Put Davis back at the joker on 3rd down to help the pass rush. Solid.

Darth Biscuit

Apr 27 2012 07:27 AM

I think that this is right in line with what Hurney said they would do and with his history in the first round. Pick a guy that is as sure fire as he can find, even if it's not at a position of greatest need.

I would also be willing to bet they've got their eyes on DT and CB prospects lower in the draft to fill those holes. Good players are out there you just have to find them. Not all the stars in the league were first round picks.

Cary Kollins

Apr 27 2012 07:28 AM

I agree with OP.

Pimpdaddy

Apr 27 2012 07:39 AM

This was definitely the right choice to head off a disaster brewing with the linebacking core. Its not the glamours pick we had hoped for but the defence will be better. What is it with Panther LB's? Guess they're jinxed. Hopefully with a full year to prepare, Mcdermott and Rivera can get some solid production out of our defence with implementing their scheme.

ICamthinkofmore

Apr 27 2012 07:43 AM

I think it was a good pick. Look how bad we were last year without our starting line backers. I think he was the best player available at the time of our pick. I trust Hurney in the first.

x djdrew x

Apr 27 2012 07:44 AM

i don't understand the hate for this pick. TD , although I love him, is not an every down linebacker anymore. Sorry to burst anyone's fantasy bubble, but with the loss of Connor and the amount of injuries we had last year, you have to believe this makes our entire defense better. We just landed a guy that can play in any spot at linebacker and will probably start Day 1, extending Thomas Davis' career by not forcing him to be on the field all game. This is so so so so much better than praying Coples isn't as lazy as everyone thinks him to be, etc, etc.

It's a solid pick. Not a great one, but where we were, with the picks made before us, he was the best player at his position and the best defensive player on the board.

Hurney doesn't get a lot of his other picks right, but his 1st are usually money and I don't doubt this one for a second.

sml1950

Apr 27 2012 07:56 AM

I can see it now, Cam standing next to LK, pulling his shirt open to expose a large S and Luke in a coat and tie with horn rimmed glasses looking like Clark Kent. The caption.....Supermen

caatfan

Apr 27 2012 07:57 AM

He's athletic (4.58 and a 38" vertical at the Combine), instinctive, smart, and tackles like he's twins. You can also play him where you need him. If he can stay healthy it looks like a good pick.

TANTRIC-NINJA

Apr 27 2012 08:01 AM

He even has the elite Ray Lewis size without the potential of murder.

He is an elite prospect and not one person has anything but high praise for this guy...he is the first choice of lbers.. I see him as a top 5 mlb linebacker by year 2. Why wouldnt he be? MLB, WLB...great pick and it is a MAJOR NEED a lot of Panther fans choose to ignore or assume everyone is 100% from rehabbing injuries.

Cracka McNasty

Apr 27 2012 08:08 AM

i don't understand the hate for this pick. TD , although I love him, is not an every down linebacker anymore. Sorry to burst anyone's fantasy bubble, but with the loss of Connor and the amount of injuries we had last year, you have to believe this makes our entire defense better. We just landed a guy that can play in any spot at linebacker and will probably start Day 1, extending Thomas Davis' career by not forcing him to be on the field all game. This is so so so so much better than praying Coples isn't as lazy as everyone thinks him to be, etc, etc.

It's a solid pick. Not a great one, but where we were, with the picks made before us, he was the best player at his position and the best defensive player on the board.

Hurney doesn't get a lot of his other picks right, but his 1st are usually money and I don't doubt this one for a second.

you raise fine points and have allowed me to look at this pick differently. pie for you. I hate the pick less now. superb pro Kuechly argument sir.

BeerMe

Apr 27 2012 08:08 AM

nope.

hope I'm wrong though.

Good argument.

catfang

Apr 27 2012 08:13 AM

I liked the pick, based on what we need. If Beason was 100% and Connor was here, I would have screamed for Fletcher Cox. Hopefully there is good value at other positions of need in later rounds.

Jackofalltrades

Apr 27 2012 08:16 AM

Will- James Anderson
Mike- Jon Beason
Sam- Luke Kuechly

Drooling- Me

mpritc1019

Apr 27 2012 08:16 AM

If we are willing to move Beason from the middle, why not just keep Connor? And use this pick somewhere else like DE or CB.

Peppers90 NC

Apr 27 2012 08:18 AM

Instead of reaching for a DE or DT that still has question marks, they pick the most productive, high-impact player available. More impact than any secondary player would have been(even though i woulda loved Gilmore), and there are plenty of reasons not to love any of those first round DT's. With only one healthy LB on the team, I think this fills one of the biggest holes. No, we don't have any stand-out players other than Johnson on the line, but we do have bodies. We have very few bodies at LB. I give this pick an A.

Cracka McNasty

Apr 27 2012 08:19 AM

Good argument.

i became swayed one post above yours. i'm now fine with this pick.

to be fair to me i'm pretty hungover this morning and nothing appealed to me when I first awoke.