Miami LB Jackson Kuwatch selected 227th overall by the Carolina Panthers
Kuwatch took a chance on himself by walking-on at a football blue-blood. Five years later, he achieves his dream of reaching the pros as a Miami RedHawk.
Jackson Kuwatch grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio as a die-hard Ohio State football fan.
A Buckeye from birth, Kuwatch waited for a potential opportunity to join his boyhood team as a lot of football players from the state of Ohio do– but the invitation never came. Undeterred, Kuwatch enrolled at Ohio State and walked-on to the football team, eschewing offers from the FCS and D-II to pursue a lifelong dream.
Kuwatch didn't see game action as a Buckeye after two years working with their special teams units, and when 2023 came around, he entered the transfer portal and chose Miami University, 37 miles from home, seeking an opportunity for starting snaps.
He had to wait another two years toiling away on special teams, but when his number was called to be the starting MIKE linebacker in 2025, Kuwatch delivered big-time. He finished his lone season as a starter with 109 total tackles, 10 tackles-for-loss, five sacks and a pass break-up, earning third-team all-MAC honors in the process.
Kuwatch's dream to reach the pros his way was finally achieved on Saturday afternoon, with the Carolina Panthers selecting him in the seventh round. With the selection, Kuwatch becomes the first RedHawks linebacker drafted to the NFL since Terna Nande in 2006.
The profile on Kuwatch is fairly simple, as he was a special teams ace over four seasons before getting 14 games as a starting linebacker in Miami's 4-2-5 scheme in 2025.
He's a rangy, high-motor attacker in the run game, with impressive speed, agility and explosion for someone who stands six-foot-four and 232 lbs. He exhibits a great understanding of the line of scrimmage, often finding the cutback lane and closing it down.
Kuwatch's size is a matchup nightmare, as he is large enough to be a disruptor up the middle in the passing game even with limited coverage experience while showing good run-game instincts.
However, where Kuwatch truly excels is as a blitzer. He picked up 10 TFLs and five sacks in his only season as a starter thanks in part to elite speed and pursuit ability, which makes him a great clean-up artist.
There are a few weaknesses with Kuwatch that are hard to dismiss. Only one year of true on-field experience will be difficult for most pro scouts to get past, especially at his level of competition. (Though it should be noted he had a tendency to show up in marquee games, with 10+ tackles against Rutgers, and Western Michigan in both the regular season and the title game.)
The majority of Kuwatch's tackles were assists as well, with 62 of the 109 tackles needing another player nearby. His form is excellent, but one would like to see more stopping power for someone as big as he is.
He also wasn't called upon a lot in the passing game, as Miami's system was reliant on a fifth defensive back to do the work in that department, putting the linebackers in fairly simple roles.
Kuwatch is liable to getting swallowed up by better blockers if he can't win off the line as well; his short arms and inconsistent placement can be taken advantage of.
However, Kuwatch really turned a corner once he got the opportunity to play, and the film from the last year, along with his impressive performances on the collegiate all-star circuit at both the Hula and East-West Shrine Bowls, proves he has a lot of potential.
At the pro level, he should compete right away for a special teams spot. He will not look out of place physically, but could probably use more time in the oven before being depended upon on a rotational or sub-package basis.
It's natural to be leery of one-year wonders, but in Kuwatch, one can see a player full of tools and savvy waiting to have their best parts unleashed by a coaching staff who can open them up.
