Luke Kuechly was the team's starting Middle Linebacker since he was drafted ninth overall from Boston College and he would be named the Defensive Rookie of the Year. 

Kuechly immediately was the leader of the Panthers' defense, and in 2013 (his second year in the NFL) he was a First Team All-Pro and Pro Bowler for the first time, and he was named the Defensive Player of the Year.  Kuechly remained a dominant star for Carolina, and he has been a First Team All-Pro five of his last seven seasons.  Over the 2010s, Kuechly staked a claim as the game's top interior Linebacker, driving Offensive Coordinators crazy as Kurchly gobbled up attackers at will.  A two-time leader in Tackles, Kuchley never had a year where he had less than 100 Tackles per Season, and he sucked up 18 Interceptions over his career.

Kuechly retired after the 2019 Season, and it was arguably early, as he was still under 30, a Pro Bowl Selection and the seventh in a row.  It will be a long time before Kuechly is supplanted as the best defensive player in Panthers history, and it is even more impressive considering the relative brevity of his career.

In terms of overall talent, Cam Newton arguably was at the top of this list before he ever threw a ball on the professional level.  Newton was the Heisman Trophy winner in 2010 at Auburn where he turned every head with his freakish physical abilities and as a rookie, he was the AP Rookie of the Year going to the Pro Bowl and throwing for over 4,000 yards and rushing for 706 and 14 Touchdowns.  This was typical of what he would do for the Panthers throughout his career as a true dual-threat Quarterback who is built like a Linebacker.  Newton has rushed for over 50 Touchdowns, which is more than many Pro Bowl level Running Backs. 

There should be no question that Steve Smith is the greatest Wide Receiver in Carolina Panther history, and as of this writing is the best Panther period.

One of the early stars of the Green Bay Packers, Verne Lewellen was an all-purpose Back who did it all for Green Bay.  The product of Nebraska (the state and the University) would be named to four straight First Team All-Pro squads (1926 to 1929) and was a large part of their three consecutive NFL Championships (1929 to 1931).  Lewellen would later be the Packers General Manager from 1954 to 1958 and entered the Packers Hall of Fame in 1970 as part of the first class.