When looking at the 2025 Carolina Panthers, the quarterback is the easiest spot for the eyes to be fixated on. Bryce Young was a No. 1 overall pick (one that Carolina traded away a fan-favorite wide receiver and hefty draft capital to acquire), he’s a physical outlier thanks to his short stature (5’11” on the best of days), and he put together one of the statistically worst rookie seasons the modern NFL has seen.
And yet, it’s entirely possible that he’s not the most polarizing player on the team’s roster.
Panthers’ Second-Year Defender Carries Split Opinions
The Panthers’ roster has an abundance of youth and potential in practically every position room, despite being the second-oldest team (per average age). Much of that can be attributed to the longevity of the long snapper, J.J. Jansen, but make no mistake; this is a young, developmental football team. Recognizing that development isn’t linear and often requires patience, trust, and grace to thrive, it frequently evolves and presents as frustration and/or spirited debates amongst fans.
Enter second-year linebacker Trevin Wallace.
As a rookie drafted in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Wallace was thrust into the lineup earlier than planned when longtime heartbeat and veteran backer Shaq Thompson went down with a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 4. Wallace, a former Kentucky Wildcat, is an exceptional athlete who performed well at the NFL Combine.
He brought his reputation as a violent finisher along with him into the league, though there were questions about his proficiency in coverage. A nice showing at The Senior Bowl eased those concerns enough for general manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales to pay the draft price.
According to PFSN’s LB Impact grade system, Wallace ranked No. 78 of all qualified off-ball linebackers in 2024. So far this season, he’s No. 63 in that same metric. However, football isn’t that simple an evaluation. Tools and grades are useful when collecting data to support or dispute what your eyes believe they see. But it’s important to remember that players are in the meetings and huddles and know their run fits and coverage mechanisms.
Trust the Process
Trevin has improved upon crucial position elements through the first eight weeks of the 2025 regular season. The 6’2, 241-pound hammer has seen his missed tackle rate drop from 11.9% in 2024 to 5.1% (7th best among qualifying LBs). When the team switched roles and named Wallace the MIKE and Christian Rozeboom the JACK, it positively affected the performance at the second level.
As evidenced by the missed tackle rate, the newly-appointed green dot on defense is playing with more discipline within the scheme and mitigating some of the over-aggressive tendencies that previously caused conflict.
Then there’s the coverage. Wallace has been credited with allowing 82 yards receiving on 15 catches while being targeted 22 times. He’s surrendered two touchdowns, though he was in tight coverage against Miami’s Devon Achane, who happened to make a terrific individual play. While it’s still a work in progress, and different platforms will have different criteria, the following dot graph points to the sophomore player putting himself in the correct position at a top-tier rate.
On all routes in primary coverage, how well LBs have prevented separation (scale is -2 to +2) and their grade at the catchpoint pic.twitter.com/5N7uzHGlH5
— Jrfortgang (@throwthedamball) October 29, 2025
Wallace is still only 22 years old. He’s in his second professional season at one of the more information-laden positions on the defensive side of the ball. He’s flashed ability as a playmaker. He’s also shown room for improvement. If the upgrades between Year 1 and Year 2, and Week 1 and Week 8 of this season are any indicator, the Panthers are on the right track with their polarizing young defender.
