Matt Rhule reveals his positional plan for former Penn State linebacker Brandon Smith

Matt Rhule believes Brandon Smith is capable of playing multiple positions for the Carolina Panthers. That flexibility should enable the Penn State product, who was selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, to make an impact right away.

In a recent press conference, Rhule said Smith can play both the strong and weak side linebacker positions, as well as in the middle. He plans to start Smith at linebacker, where his ability to play all three positions should give him a good chance to see the field as a rookie.

“We think he’s a guy that is kind of one of those chess piece type of players,” Rhule said. “He’s a linebacker who can also rush. Fast, athletic and still a young player. We’ll play him at all three linebacker positions. Part of this weekend was looking at him and Barno and seeing how they can fit in with us. We’ll start him off at linebacker and let him learn that. That’s probably one of the hardest positions to learn. Then just see what else he can do.”

Smith, a five-star prospect coming out of high school, started for two seasons in Happy Valley. He was the No. 1 player in the state of Virginia and No. 24 overall in the 2019 class, according to the On3 Consensus.

He spent 2020 playing largely as a SAM linebacker, before making the move over to WILL. After starting every game, Smith earned honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference. In 2021, he finished with 81 total tackles, five pass breakups and a forced fumble. Smith opted out of Penn State’s bowl game to prepare for the draft.

The Panthers already have an established WILL linebacker in veteran Shaq Thompson. With that being the case, it’s possible that Matt Rhule could ask Brandon Smith to play SAM, where he has previous experience. Either way, it’s clear the Penn State product has a bright future ahead of him.

He’ll look to help turn around a Panthers team that finished just 5-12 during the 2021 season.