Cat Scratch Reader
The new Panthers linebacker might have the right mentality, but what else can be expected from the 72nd overall pick?
If you’ve heard it once, you have heard it a thousand times: Carolina Panthers general manager Dan Morgan wants some ‘dawgs’ on his team. He may even want dawgs more than former GM Dave Gettleman wanted hog mollies, and that’s really saying something. Did Morgan keep his word, did he target dawgs in this draft?
Well, Trevin Wallace seems to think so. Wallace, the former Kentucky Wildcat who was selected by the Panthers with the 72nd overall pick after a trade down with the New York Jets, was asked to describe what he thinks it means to have a dawg mentality:
Trevin Wallace: You go in there and hurt somebody and you be like ‘Hey, I did this and imma do it again… you don’t go in there being soft, you go in there like I’m gonna hurt you every play. I want you to be scared of me’
For those who watch on Sundays instead of play, that may seem a little over the top, but is that soundbite over the top for Dan Morgan? Take a listen to how Dan Morgan describes a ‘dawg’ during his now infamous introductory press conference, I’ll let you be the judge:
Dan Morgan: We need guys that are hungry to go out there and inflict pain on their opponents.
If you were looking for the reason why Morgan wanted to draft Wallace, there it is.
Unfortunately, there’s a little more to player evaluation than just checking of a box beside the word “dawg”. With Frankie Luvu gone to the Washington Commanders and Shaq Thompson coming back from consecutive injury-riddle seasons, now seems like as good of a time as any to start re-building the room that has long been a strength for the Carolina Panthers. Can Wallace be that guy?
At Kentucky, where Wallace spent all three of his college seasons, he finished his final year tallying 80 tackles with 5.5 sacks and an interception. After being a team captain in 2023, Wallace decided to forgo his last year of eligibility and declare for the 2024 NFL Draft.
Standing at 6’1 and 237 lbs, the 21 year old Wallace is a strong athlete, posting a 4.51 40 yard dash along with a 37.5 inch vertical jump and 10’7 broad jump, all three of which ranking in the 91st percentile or better since 1987, according to his RAS profile.
His measured athleticism is impressive, but what’s most important is that it shows up on the field too. Wallace can play from sideline-to-sideline to chase down ball-carriers and mirror routes from backs coming out of the backfield. Wallace has the smoothness in his hips and feet to succeed in pass-coverage. When he was called to rush the passer, he was productive as he ended the 2023 season third in both pressures and sacks for the Kentucky defense.
While Wallace plays physical and...
