Panthers under-the-radar linebacker named their top breakout player for 2025
The Carolina Panthers need all the help they can get when it comes to their defense. A young performer could come into his own in his second season.
During head coach Dava Canales’ first season at the helm of the Carolina Panthers, the former offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had the league’s most offensive defense. The club allowed the most total yards and most rushing yards in the league. Carolina gave up a single-season record 534 points. All told, there weren’t a lot of positives when it came to this unit in 2024.
This offseason, general manager Dan Morgan has addressed this side of the ball in a big way via free agency. The Panthers have nine picks in this week’s draft, starting with the eighth overall selection.
In a piece that looks at all 32 NFL teams, Brandon Austin of Pro Football Sports Network has pegged linebacker Trevin Wallace, a third-round pick from Kentucky a year ago, as the club’s breakout candidate in 2025.
“The Carolina Panthers’ defense struggled mightily in 2024, ranking near the bottom of the NFL in almost every major category. They finished as the 32nd-ranked unit in PFSN’s Defense-plus metric. One bright spot, however, was the promise Trevin Wallace displayed as a rookie. The third-round pick from Kentucky recorded 63 tackles, two tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and one sack last season. Wallace started eight games and rose to the occasion with Shaq Thompson and Josey Jewell out due to injuries. He really shined in Week 5, recording a career-high 15 tackles against the Bears.
Wallace flashed the athleticism that he showed off at the Scouting Combine during the draft process,” added Austin. “There were some issues in pass coverage, as he allowed a passer rating of 133.7 on 235 coverage snaps. Still, he gained valuable experience early on, which could translate into another step in his development in 2025.”
He played in the team’s first 13 games and made eight starts. He finished sixth on the team with those aforementioned 63 defensive stops. The 22-year-old performer suffered a shoulder injury in a Week 14 loss at Philadelphia and did not play again. Wallace showed plenty of promise when he was on the field, and he could be part of a defensive turnaround in 2025.