Here at Cat Scratch Reader we have counted down the final 100 days leading up to the Carolina Panthers season opener by for at least the past ten years. We’ve always done this by highlighting the current player on the roster whose jersey number matches the day on the countdown. This year, we decided to change that up a bit by counting down our own list of the Top 100 Panthers of all time. This does not correspond to jersey number, does not need to be somebody who wore a jersey, and will in no way be controversial.
#29. Kawann Short
Kawann Short was part of an unorthodox draft class for the Carolina Panthers in 2013. After a standout career at Purdue, the Panthers picked him in the second round with the 44th overall pick. While there’s no problem picking up a quality defensive tackle in the second round, it came after the Panthers picked defensive Star Lotulelei in the first round. While the two played different roles and techniques, it was still somewhat unusual to see a team pick two players that nominally played the same position with each of their first two picks.
It paid off though. For his part, Short was one of the most efficient pass rushers from the middle of the line across the entire NFL, and he helped contribute to a powerful front line that anchored one of the better defenses in the league. As time went on, Short got better at translating his disruptiveness into production. In his third season, he compiled 11 sacks, which led the team and earned him All Pro honors. That would prove to be his peak. He would compile 16.5 sacks over the next three seasons, though he would land a second Pro Bowl nomination in the third one. That would be his final healthy season. He played just two games in 2019 before a shoulder injury ended his season. His 2020 season would meet the same fate after three games. The Panthers released him at the end of the 2020 season, and that was the end of his NFL career.
Prior to the recurring shoulder injuries that ultimately ended Short’s career, he was a true ironman that was a fixture on the Panthers front four. He was constantly disruptive in both phases of the game and was a perfect complement as a disruptor next to Lotulelei’s space eating style. The Panthers almost always had a good defense when Short was on the field, and that wasn’t a coincidence. And it’s not a coincidence that good defenses have been harder to find in Carolina since Short left. While he alone didn’t make the good defenses, he played a big part in them. For that, he lands at number 29 on the list of top 100 Panthers of all time.
