13. Luke Kuechly
Team: Carolina Panthers
Position: MLB
Experience: 7 Years
The second highest LB on the NFL SneakerReporter Top 30 countdown is Caorlina Panthers Luke Kuechly. Kuechly wasn’t always the best of the field, as the linebacker was only a 3 star recruit in the class of 2009. He took his talents to Boston College, where his hard work earned him national recognition. The 6’3” 235 lbs LB made plays all over the field, as his tremendous play at BC led him to two consensus All-American seasons.
Kuechly was drafted 9th overall in the 2012 NFL Draft to the Carolina Panthers, where he has stayed his whole career. It didn’t take him long to leave his imprint on the field, as he led the league in combined tackles in his rookie campaign. From his second year on, Kuechly has made the Pro-Bowl every single year, a mesmerizing feat for such a physical position. Kuechly sustained dominance has been a vital reason for Carolina’s sound defense over the last decade.
Kuechly had perhaps his best year in 2015, when the All-Pro LB helped lead the Panthers and their stingy defense to the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, they came up short versus the Denver Broncos in the infamous Cam Newton dive game. Kuechly earned All-Pro honors in 2015 after recording over 100 combined tackles, four INTs and two forced fumbles in only 13 regular season games.
Some of Kuechly’s best attributes are his pristine tackling form and top-notch intelligence. His reading of formations and knowledge of tendencies always leads him to the right place at the right time. Kuechly also displays remarkable athleticism for such a strong LB. He recorded a 4.58 40 yard dash along with a 38 inch vertical. His 40 time ranked him third highest among LB in the 2012 draft.
After an average season in 2016, Kuechly made it back to All-Pro level in 2017 and 2018. There are no signs of Kuechly slowing down, as Pro Football Focus released their 2018 end of season “Best Player” at every position, which ranked Kuechly as the number two Linebacker. Kuechly is only 28 years of age, and with his lack of injuries there is no reason to believe he doesn’t have plenty of football left. Stay tuned to the SneakerReporter Top 30 countdown as you may see who we rated as the Best Linebacker in the business.
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