NFC South's Next Defensive Superstar

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

Link: http://espn.go.com/b...nsive-superstar

In 2003, Carolina defensive linemen Julius Peppers and Kris Jenkins emerged as the second coming of Rice and Sapp. With a little help from linebacker Dan Morgan, who was relatively healthy that season, they carried the Panthers all the way to the Super Bowl -- and that came with Jake Delhomme in his first full season as a starting quarterback.

Could this be the year the NFC South returns to its roots and a dominant defensive player emerges? Of course, the NFL is a quarterback-driven league and rules favor offense. But there are several prospects in the division who could turn out to be the NFC South’s next defensive superstar. Here's a rundown:

Luke Kuechly, linebacker, Panthers. Carolina didn’t have a desperate need at linebacker with Jon Beason and Thomas Davis returning from injuries and James Anderson already in place. There were more obvious needs elsewhere. But the Panthers locked in on Kuechly with the No. 9 overall pick in this year’s draft.

The Panthers have yet to declare if Kuechly or Beason will open the season in the middle. But it’s clear the Panthers have huge plans for Kuechly. Coach Ron Rivera comes from a defensive background and he needed to reload his defense. He drafted Kuechly to build a defense around him.

Don’t underestimate the influence of general manager Marty Hurney on this pick. Hurney was around during the Morgan days, and he’s one of many people in Carolina’s building who believe Morgan would be headed for the Pro Football Hall of Fame if he had been able to stay healthy. In Kuechly, the Panthers envision a healthy and young Morgan.

Charles Johnson, defensive end, Panthers. He just turned 26 and, of all the players on this list, he has done the most so far. Johnson had 20.5 sacks the past two seasons for a team that often played from behind. Carolina has a good offense now, and the addition of Kuechly and the return of injured players should help the defense. If Johnson's sack total reaches the high double digits, he could become what Peppers once was -- a dominant NFC South defensive player.

Others include...

Sean Weatherspoon, linebacker (Falcons)

Mark Barron, safety (Buccaneers)

Malcolm Jenkins, safety (Saints**)

Adrian Clayborn, defensive end (Buccaneers)

[panthers34]

Kuechly and Barron are both gong to be stars

Sleeper-Josh Norman maybe Gerald Mccoy and Sean Weatherspoon

[SOJA]

I really don't get the hype behind Barron, I think he will be solid, but don't think he is anywhere near the caliber of Reed/Polamalu.

[panthers34]

I really don't get the hype behind Barron, I think he will be solid, but don't think he is anywhere near the caliber of Reed/Polamalu.

Well he hasnt played a game yet soo its hard to tell...Give him a few years and he will be good...He reminds me of Eric Berry

[Argus Plexus]

Kuechly is going to go HAM this season

[top dawg]

Release the Kraken!

[Riverboat Ron]

I really feel like Kuechly will be the next great LB in the NFL. If only our defensive line didn't part like the Red Sea and Sherrod Martin didn't play like ball carriers had cooties, we'd have a shot at being a very solid defense.

[Herbert The Love Bug]

I really feel like Kuechly will be the next great LB in the NFL. If only our defensive line didn't part like the Red Sea and Sherrod Martin didn't play like ball carriers had cooties, we'd have a shot at being a very solid defense.

Defensive line will definitely be more solid this year and Sherrod Martin will probably not see the field much. Hopefully he will just be an emergency corner/safety.

[Herbert The Love Bug]

Oh and I have no doubt about Keuchly being the droy this season. He will start from day one, and rack up tons of tackles and just be flying all over the place making plays.

[Panthro]

I really don't get the hype behind Barron, I think he will be solid, but don't think he is anywhere near the caliber of Reed/Polamalu.

He would have been our pick if he was still there

[SOJA]

He would have been our pick if he was still there

I don't know if that is necessarily true. Next years draft is loaded at the safety position. I think we could end up getting a better one by waiting just one year, therefore we signed a bunch of stop-gap guys like Nakamura

[SOJA]

Well he hasnt played a game yet soo its hard to tell...Give him a few years and he will be good...He reminds me of Eric Berry

Eric Berry was highly, highly touted prior to the draft. Barron shot up draft boards seemingly days before

[Peppers90 NC]

i was thinking of berry as well when making the comparison - which is pretty impressive

[PantherPhann89]

My vote is Kuechly and Norman.