Luke Kuechly’s peers showed their respect for the Carolina Panthers middle linebacker, placing Kuechly among the NFL’s top 20 players from 2016 despite the fact he missed the final six games following a concussion.
Kuechly came in at No. 20 on the NFL Network’s annual list, down 13 spots from his career-high ranking of seven last year.
Like the rest of his teammates, Kuechly’s stock fell as the Panthers’ plummeted from their Super Bowl season of 2015 to a 6-10 finish last season.
But Kuechly’s drop was relatively mild, compared to some other Panthers players.
Quarterback Cam Newton, the league’s top-rated player during his MVP season of 2015, fell 43 spots to No.