Trevin

Wallace

With no playoffs on tap for the Panthers, it ends the rookie’s season. The 72nd overall pick in the draft had started to come on lately as a pass rusher, notching four straight PFF grades above 66 in the category before leaving Week 15’s game with the injury. The coverage linebacker will probably be in Carolina’s plans in the middle for 2025.

Wallace (6’1/237) was considered the 17th-best linebacker in the nation from the 2021 recruiting cycle, chose Kentucky over several notable offers from blue blood schools seeking his verbal.The Wildcats wasted little time trusting Wallace in high leverage snaps as a true freshman, logging 241 snaps with 32 tackles, 4.0 TFL and a 47.2 defensive grade, receiving All-Sec Freshman Team recognition for his contributions. His play crested in 2023 with 80 tackles, 5.5 sacks and a 93% tackle efficiency rate. Despite making an indelible impact on the UK defense, Wallace allowed a 90% completion rate in coverage and received a middling 61.1 PFF overall grade in 2023. When it was time to show the NFL what he can do, Wallace delivered a 97th percentile 4.51s 40-yard dash, 37.5” vert (91st%) and 10’07” broad jump (96th%). He also tossed up 20 reps of 225-pounds at his pro day workout, which was the second-most from the 2024 LB group, for a scintillating 9.34 RAS. A twitchy accelerator who flies to the ball with bad intentions and bolts to the sideline in a moment, Wallace has the dimensions and profile of a 6’011/238 thumper, but the speed of a smaller coverage-oriented rover. He throws his hat into the ring on run plays quickly and with malice. However, he can be manipulated by misdirections and counters a little too easily and is a liability in coverage having allowed a career 84% completion rate. A third-year early declaration with verifiable physical gifts, Wallace is raw but has legitimate starter upside with proper coaching.