Carolina Panthers: 5 players who must improve

3. Shaq Thompson

2018 was always going to be an important year for Shaq Thompson. The former first round pick has been solid for the Panthers but he hasn’t quite emerged as the playmaker they believed he could be. Of course, the four-game suspension of Thomas Davis only heaps more pressure on the fourth-year linebacker.

Thompson will go right into the starting lineup for Davis during his suspension. The team will need him to be more consistent than ever before. He’s got the size and speed to play Davis’ role on the outside, but his instincts are still a question mark.

In some ways, Thompson has been a jack of all trades, but a master of none in his young career. He shows tantalizing ability to run with running backs and receivers down the field. However, his coverage skills aren’t quite good enough to rely on one on one.

Against the run, he flashes excellent ability to cut in and make plays. He just doesn’t do it often enough. When you watch him on film you see him struggle to set the edge due to his lack of size. The truth is he needs to initiate the contact. He gets in real trouble when he waits for it to occur.

Shaq Thompson needs to step up and prove he can be counted on as a starting linebacker moving forward. If he doesn’t show that during Davis’ suspension, the Panthers will be forced to find another future starter at the position next offseason.