Jack Kelly: Carolina Panthers' Late-Round Steal

0:00On April 20th, BYU keeps pumping out NFL stars like Fred Warner, the San Francisco 49ers linebacker who's a four-time all-prose since getting picked in. The third round back in 2018, and Puka Nakua, the Los Angeles Rams receiver who went fifth round in 2023 and already snagged. Two probals, one-all pro nod, plus the all-time record for receiving yards per game. This year, I'm eyeing outside linebacker Jack Kelly for the Carolina Panthers in the late rounds. The six-foot-two, 242-pounder started at Weber State before transferring to BYU, where he balled out over two seasons. In 2024, he earned big 12 newcomer of the year, with 51 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and five sacks. Then in 2025, on a 12-and-two Cougar squad that won the Pop Tarts Bowl, he posted 55 tackles, 13-and-a-half tackles, for loss, and 10 sacks, the most for a BYU defender since 2015.

1:00Kelly's got elite closing speed on the ball and pressure off the edge, backed by a 9.72 relative athletic score that ranks him in the first of the RN, 97th percentile for linebackers. He's built for run support in quarterback hunts, though coverage isn't his top skill. Panthers GM Dan Morgan grabbed this 23-year-old Day 3 prospect, projected 5th through 7th round, to boost your linebacker depth, and pass rush. He'll stick on special teams early and rotate in quick, feeling a real need without burning high picks. That's the story for today, NFL News Today, driven by AI, I'm Cory with the story.