The Carolina Panthers certainly have a bit of a Penn State flavor going for it. Not only is the head coach a former Nittany Lion in [autotag]Matt Rhule[/autotag], but the team just drafted Penn State linebacker [autotag]Brandon Smith[/autotag] in the 2022 NFL draft to bring a little bit of Linebacker-U to the franchise. But it is another former Nittany Lion who could be lining up for a potential breakout season in 2022.
[autotag]Yetur Gross-Matos[/autotag] was recently profiled by The Draft Network with a suggestion that offseason roster changes have paved a way for Gross-Matos to be a Week 1 starter for the Panthers, setting him up for his best season yet at the next level.
With Haason Reddick leaving Carolina to join the Philadelphia Eagles, Gross-Matos is expected to step into the starting role on the Panthers’ defensive line on the end. And that’s just one of the reasons The Draft Network is appearing high on Gross-Matos going into the 2022 NFL season. Playing opposite of Pro Bowl defensive end Brian Burns will likely lead to opportunities for Gross-Matos to bring pressure as opposing offenses focus more on Burns.
From The Draft Network;
If the extra snaps alone weren’t enough, the third-year edge rusher will be pressuring quarterbacks alongside Burns, a 2021 Pro Bowler. Burns will undoubtedly draw extra attention on one side of the line after a year in which he recorded nine sacks, 13 tackles for a loss, and four pass deflections. For Gross-Matos, playing opposite Burns should provide plenty of opportunities to succeed, especially for an edge rusher who has already shown flashes of potential facing an increased role in the defense. Just look at Reddick’s 2021 season, which featured 11 sacks and the eighth-best pass-rush win rate (23 percent) of all NFL edge rushers.
The Draft Network also suggests Carolina’s overall defensive strengths in the secondary should allow for more time to make a play behind the line of scrimmage. As opposing quarterbacks are trying to keep plays alive to find an open receiver, Gross-Matos may get a few more chances to make a play. Every second in the NFL can be a big difference, and the longer a quarterback holds on to the football, the more chances Gross-Matos will have to make a play.
More from The Draft Network;
Putting all those factors together for a young edge rusher that has already shown some nice flashes of potential should mean the third-year defender experiences a nice breakout season for the Panthers. If he can stay healthy all year after a couple of ankle injuries held him back in his first two years, 2022 could be a career year.
Gross-Matos was a second-round pick of the Panthers in the 2020 NFL draft. The former two-time First-team All-Big Ten player in 2018 and 2019 has recorded 52 tackles with six sacks in his first two seasons in the NFL. He has appeared in 26 games with nine career starts entering the 2022 season.
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