Replacing Luke Kuechly isn’t something that’s easily done. You’re talking about a player who is almost surely heading to the Hall of Fame after playing only eight seasons in the NFL. Kuechly was a leader in the locker room and on the stat sheet, getting at least 100 tackles in every season of his career. He was the type of force that opposing offenses consistently had to gameplan around because of the impact he made.
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Put simply, there is not a pure linebacker prospect in the mold of Kuechly that can replace the Panthers superstar in the middle of their defense. Having said that, there is the same potential type of presence that will be available to the Panthers at the No. 7 pick in regards to a player that the opposition will always have to account for. That guy is Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons.
Simmons is an absolute physical freak, likely one of the fastest defensive players that will be timed at the NFL Combine and he plays linebacker. Players that are his size (6-4, 230 pounds) shouldn’t be able to move in the ways he does. However, he’s not just a raw tools guy as he has a ton of natural instincts and mental processing that make him a great anticipatory player wherever he lines up.
“Wherever he lines up” is also a crucial phrase when it comes to Simmons. The Clemson product can be put all over the field as he’s highly capable in coverage while also being able to fill gaps and take on blocks to make plays against the run. He’s the prototype for a hybrid linebacker that a defensive coordinator can move around as an elite chess piece.
While Simmons may not be a 1-for-1 comparison to Kuechly, he’s the type of prospect that can have a similar impact with how impactful he can be for the defense.