Luke Kuechly gives his thoughts on Panthers' 2026 NFL Draft class
Luke Kuechly broke down the top of the Panthers' 2026 draft class. Here's what he had to say about second-round pick Lee Hunter . .
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One of the Carolina Panthers ' top draft picks may be rekindling some fond memories for Luke Kuechly. On this week's episode his podcast JJ and Luke , the franchise great—along with co-host and longtime long snapper JJ Jansen—discussed the top of the Panthers' 2026 NFL Draft Class . When breaking down second-round pick and defensive lineman Lee Hunter, Kuechly recalled the table-setters Carolina nabbed back in 2013.
"The guys on Texas Tech—[David] Bailey the edge rusher and, obviously, Jacob Rodriguez—those guys would not have the success that they did without having a really good inside guy," he stated of Hunter. "And my second year in Carolina, we drafted Star Lotulelei in the first round and Kawann Short in the second round. "And Thomas [Davis] and I .
. . Al Holcomb, our linebacker coach, said, 'Hey you two better walk into [general manager] Dave Gettleman's office and say thank you.