There are 56 days until meaningful football begins, so we’ll profile #56 for the Panthers, A.J. Klein.
Bio
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 240 lbs
Age: 25 years
College: Iowa State
Experience: 4 years
Career
Since being drafted in the 5th round of the 2013 draft, AJ Klein has been a staple of the Panthers linebacking corps. The Iowa State product has appeared in 60 of a possible 64 games in his career, starting 23 of those. His versatility has been a boon to the Panthers defense. Klein has proven capable of playing both the middle and strong side linebacker positions, both at a starter-level proficiency. That kind of depth has proven invaluable to a Panthers team that prides itself on the front seven of its defense.
His value has been magnified with star MLB Luke Kuechly missing contests in each of the past two seasons. During their 15-1 2015 campaign, the Panthers went 3-0 during AJ Klein’s run as a starter. In 2016, the Panthers went 2-4 with AJ Klein as the starter - not far off the pace of the team’s final 6-10 record. The fact that the Panthers can experience such a minor drop off in production while missing a transcendent talent like Kuechly speaks highly of Klein’s ability. Just check out some of his highlights below.
Breaking Update
AJ Klein signed with the Saints. Zeek Bigger currently wears #56 for the Panthers. He’s a local product out of ECU that likely won’t make the roster.