Jacub

Panasiuk

One of the Big Ten’s best talents is back in the fold. A little over a month ago, Panasiuk announced he would be redshirting because the Big Ten did not appear to be playing a fall season. Now that the conference is back, so is Panasiuk. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound pass-rusher only put up a modest 8.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks last season, but his presence was felt in the way offenses had to scheme extra protection to keep him down. Panasiuk took a massive leap between his sophomore and junior seasons, so if another leap is on the way, Panasiuk could bloom into a real stud defensive end.

Panasiuk (6'3/245) won’t be playing this season due to his concerns over the potential impact of a COVID-19 infection and the unknowns still surrounding the novel virus. While not quite the same name-brand as Caleb Farley, Micah Parsons or Rashod Bateman, who are all opting out and pushing on to the draft, Panasiuk is a fine player in his own right and is coming off a beautiful level-up season in which he went from an overall PFF grade of 60.5 in 2018 to an overall PFF grade of 90.0 (!) in 2019. By traditional statistical metrics, Panasiuk posted 34 tackles (8.5 for loss) and 3.5 sacks last season, with two forced fumbles to boot.

Panasiuk (6'3/245) took one of the largest developmental jumps of any player in the country last season. In 2018, PFF graded Panasiuk with just a 60.5 before he erupted to a 90.0 grade in 2019. PFF notes that from 6/7-technique alignments specifically, Panasiuk ranked seventh in pass-rushing grade. He will need to improve his run defense in 2020 to help boost his draft stock, but it’s clear now that Panasiuk has proven himself worthy of some NFL looks as a pass-rusher.

Panasiuk (6'3/245) made one of the game’s biggest plays during the first half, as a pass he deflected was intercepted and returned for a touchdown by older brother Mike Panasiuk. We’ll have more information on the junior defensive end’s status for the remainder of the game as it becomes available.

The source and severity of Panasiuk’s injury is not yet known. He was in and out of the game, and he was pointing to his hip the last time he came out with the assistance of the training staff. Michigan State’s next game is against Wisconsin, so they’ll need all hands on deck.

Michigan State’s defense was dominant in the season-opening 28-7 victory, as the Golden Hurricane finished with minus-73 yards rushing. And Panasiuk (6'3/245) was one of the standouts for the Spartans, as Pro Football Focus gave him grades of 77.0 (run-defense) and 84.8 (pass rush). During the summer the thought was that the junior could be an X-factor for Michigan State, given the presence of established standouts such as Kenny Willekes and Raequan Williams, and it’s fair to say that Panasiuk is off to a good start to the 2019 campaign.

Michigan State has a defensive line that rates among the nation’s best this season, and that group was a big reason why the Spartans led the Big Ten in rush defense last season. Kenny Willekes led the way in the pass rushing department, tallying 8.5 sacks, and the question heading into 2019 is who can produce on the opposite side. Enter Panasiuk (6'3/257), who finished last season with 31 total tackles (4.5 for loss) and two sacks. If the junior defensive end can take advantage of the matchups he’s likely to see with teams needing to account for the presence of Willekes, Mike Panasiuk and Raequan Williams, Michigan State’s defensive front will be even tougher to break down.