Top 30 athletes under 30-years-old

3 of 31

Aug 14, 2015; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Carolina Panthers middle linebacker Luke Kuechly (59) makes a tackle on Buffalo Bills wide receiver Robert Woods (10) during the first quarter in a preseason NFL football game at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports /

29. Luke Kuechly, Carolina Panthers – 24 years old

He’s the best middle linebacker in the entire NFL — point blank. Now that Patrick Willis, Brian Urlacher and Ray Lewis are gone, there is no one who can compete with Luke Kuechly for that title.

Since the Carolina Panthers drafted him out of Boston College with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, Kuechly has hounded ball carriers and haunted quarterbacks.

In his rookie year, Kuechly reached 103 tackles with 62 of them on assists. He added two interceptions, eight pass deflections and three fumble recoveries … as a rookie — can’t be stressed enough. He obviously was named the 2012 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Since then, he’s only gotten better. In fact, the very next year he was named the 2013 AP Defensive Player of the Year. He had 96 total tackles with 70 assists and two sacks. He picked off four passes and deflected eight more.

In those first three seasons, Kuechly totaled 306 tackles with 196 assists. It’s also worth noting that he didn’t miss a game during that stretch.

Now, this season has been less fortunate for Kuechly as he’s missed some time with a concussion. With him healthy, the Panthers’ defense is catapulted into the discussion of being among the best in the NFL.

If Kuechly can stay healthy, the Panthers will find a way to stay in the playoff hunt. They’re undefeated right now in spite of his injury. Having Kuechly leading the defense and Cam Newton leading the offense is never a bad starting point for a franchise.

Next: No. 28 Kawhi Leonard