How Brandon Smith fits the Carolina Panthers defense
The Carolina Panthers were the team to finally gamble on one of the biggest boom-or-bust prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft. Former Penn State linebacker Brandon Smith heads to Carolina to meet with former Penn State player and State College native Matt Ruhle.
We’ll get to how the Panthers and Smith fit in just a moment, but before we do, here’s what I wrote this week about Smith’s best fit going forward.
Still, he’s a quality coverage player, and he did improve throughout last season. The most logical path would be to keep him as a Will linebacker at the next level. His best skill is blowing up players underneath coverage and devastating receivers in the flat. This knack for blitzing would be the best use of his talents.
If he were a more instinctive player, I’d try him out at Mike linebacker. He reminds me in some ways of San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner. Warner played Sam in college but had a massive frame and excellent coverage skills. The 49ers gave the former Cougar time to develop at middle linebacker, and Warner became the best player at his position in the NFL.
Brandon Smith’s fit with the Carolina Panthers
A defensive scheme that emphasizes coverage and movement skills? Check.
How about a team that has a big, physical defensive line? Check.
However, it’s not a clean translation for Brandon Smith to the NFL. The Panthers are a nickel defense that runs single-high coverage looks, meaning they play quite a bit of Cover 1. That asks coverage defenders to play in single coverage. Smith didn’t do that at Penn State a lot, and he famously struggled when in space against quality athletes. Last season, Smith missed four tackles in man coverage, which accounted for 44% of his tackle attempts. So when he was in man coverage, he played poorly.
On the flip side, Smith was good in zone coverage, the other side of the Cover 1/Cover 3 coin. No NFL team runs the same sort of pure zone defense that former defensive coordinator Brent Pry ran at Penn State, but the concepts and structure of the defense will at least be similar.
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What position will he play?
What’s less clear is where Smith will line up for the Panthers. The team already has an established Will linebacker in veteran Shaq Thompson. However, Thompson has two years left on his contract, so Smith may be a long-term play for the Panthers. The team also signed veteran Cory Littleton to a one-year minimum salary this offseason.
Penn State linebacker Brandon Smith finds pro home with the Carolina Panthers in 2022 NFL Draft
Do the Panthers see Smith as I described him earlier? Will they give him a redshirt season to learn Mike linebacker and let him settle into calling the defense? It’s a massive gamble for a player that does not play with physicality or instincts. If so, Smith will have played all three linebacker positions in three straight years.
If they are right about Smith and the light finally turns on, they will be getting one of the most physically talented players in the 2022 NFL Draft. The former Penn State linebacker is a natural 245 pounds and runs a 4.50 40-yard dash. Theoretically, he can stay with any athlete in the NFL after posting a sub-7 second three-cone drill during the Penn State Pro Day. The good news is that with two veteran linebackers ahead of him, Smith doesn’t need to start right away. Instead, he has the opportunity to acclimate to the defense, learn a new position if he needs to, and play when he’s ready.
