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Fifth-Round Rookie Zakee Wheatley Is Now the Panthers' Last Line Against Baker Mayfield
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- Fifth-Round Rookie Zakee Wheatley Is Now the Panthers' Last Line Against Baker Mayfield
Carolina Panthers fans who spent April wondering who would hold down the back end have a new name to trust. Zakee Wheatley, the fifth-round pick out of Penn State, has become a key piece of a defense that now looks good enough to carry Carolina through the NFC South.
His job gets bigger against Tampa Bay. Baker Mayfield is expected back from a dislocated right thumb, and Mike Kaye wrote in ESPN's Week 7 preview that with Mayfield "likely to air it out in his return, the fifth-round pick will be the last line of defense in the secondary." Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero said Thursday that Wheatley's role has grown with cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson on injured reserve .
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Wheatley's grades back up the trust
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6)Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Wheatley has 18 tackles, two passes defensed and a forced fumble in four games, three of them starts. His 89.8 overall PFF grade ranks second among 98 safeties, and his 81.7 coverage grade ranks sixth. That comes on just 178 snaps, and the 124.4 passer rating allowed on the five catches against him is the number to watch.
Evero saw the makeup back in training camp , saying in August that "the one thing that I really admire about this young man is that he gets out there and, regardless of if he doesn't make the right call or doesn't make the right play, the confidence doesn't waiver."
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He won't be back there alone. Tre'von Moehrig has started every game and has 21 tackles, while rookie cornerback Will Lee III leads the team with seven passes defensed. Akayleb Evans, whose every-down role needs rethinking , and nickel Chau Smith-Wade round out the group. Tampa Bay counters with Emeka Egbuka (28 catches, 240 yards, two touchdowns), Chris Godwin Jr. (23 for 216) and Ted Hurst (11 for 168). Tez Johnson averages 20.7 yards on his seven catches, and Mayfield's 9.3-yard average depth of target ranks seventh among quarterbacks.
Every one of the Buccaneers' past 12 games has been decided by one score, so a single blown coverage could flip things in uptown Charlotte. Bryce Young has his own test against cornerback Jacob Parrish (nine passes defensed, one interception) and edge rusher David Walker (four sacks). A defense that ranks sixth in EPA per play since Week 2 needs its rookie safety to keep the ball in front of him.
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This story was originally published by Athlon on Oct 23, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
