Carolina Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson never made his presence more felt than he did in 2021. So that, in turn, helped him earn his presence amongst the league’s best.
Pro Football Focus lead NFL analyst Sam Monson recently ranked the NFL’s top off-ball linebackers. And Thompson, who is fresh off what was probably the most impactful campaign of his seven-year career, lands into the fifth tier at the position—joining the likes of free agent Alexander Johnson, Buffalo’s Matt Milano and Tennessee’s Zach Cunningham.
“Thompson was back to his best in coverage this past season, posting a 74.5 PFF grade in that area, his best mark since his sophomore season,” writes Monson, who slots the 28-year-old in at No. 12 overall.
After a largely disappointing 2020 season—one that featured career-lows across the board according in PFF’s grading system—the former first-round pick jumped right back with that 74.5 coverage mark, the third-highest of his pro tenure. He’d also post some bests as far as the more traditional stats go—registering two interceptions, five passes defensed and six quarterback hits despite missing three games with plantar fasciitis.
Heck, he even shot himself out of a cannon back in Week 10 to record the league’s quickest sack over the last two years.
“Shaq Thompson playing like early 2000s Ray Lewis out here.”
– @greggrosenthal somewhere pic.twitter.com/Mf4lIu8Afp— Panthers 24/7 (@Panthers24_7) November 14, 2021
So, hopefully for Thompson and the Panthers, those numbers keep trending that way in 2022.
