ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Carolina Panthers have signed rookie linebacker Luke Kuechly, the No. 9 overall pick in the draft, to a four-year, $12.58 million contract.
The deal is fully guaranteed.
Considered the most instinctive linebacker in the 2012 draft class, Kuechly was a tackling machine at Boston College and is athletic enough to play any of the three positions in Carolina’s 4-3 scheme. He is tentatively expected to man the middle of Ron Rivera’s defense, although Kuechly could also end up on the weak side.
The roles will be determined in training camp.
