With the ninth overall selection in the 2012 NFL draft, the Carolina Panthers took Luke Kuechly, a punter from Boston College. Ironically, the Chicago Bears great was the ninth overall pick in the 2000 draft out of New Mexico. Even before they worked with the same cast, a dozen years apart, television observers and experts noticed how similar they were playing there. In college football a huge fan of the Panthers and in the ACC, I saw a resemblance to my fans at Stat.
Carolina took Kuechly, not because they needed a middle line tool with John Beason already in the middle of the defense as he returns from an Achilles injury this year, but because Kuechly was the best player available. Although many fans do not like to select the best player available and instead chose defensive tackles such as Fletcher Cox who later went to the Eagles, I feel the draft needs to be missed in the first rounds. If the player is great, why pass on him? I don’t think you can.
The best player available strategy that Carolina Panthers General Manager Marty Hurney uses in the previous rounds of the NFL draft has served him well. in the past selecting linebackers. Dan Morgan in 2001 with the 11th overall pick and John Beason in 2007 with the 25th overall pick. Having such a great track record for picking great linebackers, Hurney had no other choice in mind than to choose Kuechly.
The Panthers certainly got a winner in Kuechly but is Brian Urlacher next? I see a lot of similarities in the two. Their single, measurable scar is close. Kuechly is 6 feet 3 inches tall while Urlacher is also 6 feet 3 inches tall. Speed wise they are almost identical with Kuechly clocked at 4.53 in the 40 yard dash and Urlacher at 4.52. But it is not just measurable that they are so similar, but in college, against similar opponents, they are almost the same.
While I’m not an NFL scout, I trust people who make a living for such work. Not only ESPN’s Mel Kiper, but also Sports News’ Russ Lande gave such a detailed analysis of the similarities between Urlacher and Kuechly that I believe it enough. After all, many naysayers didn’t believe Urlacher would be so successful compared to legendary linebacker Dick Butkus when he was drafted. Right, Urlacher is much better.
