Patrick Willis weighs in on Luke Kuechly's case for the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Recent Hall of Fame inductee Patrick Willis had a strikingly similar NFL career to Luke Kuechly's.

Tim Weaver | 1 Hour Ago

CHARLOTTE, NC - JANUARY 12: Cam Newton #1 of the Carolina Panthers runs the ball as Patrick Willis #52 of the San Francisco 49ers attempts the tackle during the NFC Divisional Playoff Game between the two teams at Bank of America Stadium on January 12, 2014 in Charlotte, North Carolina. / (Photo by Rob Tringali/SportsChrome/Getty Images)

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Carolina Panthers

Next year Carolina Panthers legendary linebacker Luke Kuechly will be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and those who know ball know that Kuechly belongs. That includes former San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis, who was recently inducted into the Hall of Fame along with the rest of the class of 2024.

Here's what Willis had to say about Kuechly's game and his case for Canton, according to Mike Kaye at the Charlotte Observer.

Patrick Willis on Luke Kuechly for HOF

"Certainly, I feel that he will be in the Hall of Fame when his time comes — whenever that may be... He had a tremendous career... He did get the defensive player of the year (award), which was tremendous, and it was just an honor to play in the same time that he did...Just being on the other side of the coast, I wasn’t always able to watch a lot of games. But most definitely, I always kept up with him, and rooted for him, and yeah, he was a tremendous player.”

It doesn't take a Hall of Famer to recognize one, but for what it's worth, Willis knows what he's talking about. During his time in the league Willis played eight years, totaling 950 tackles, 20.5 sacks, two picks, 16 forced fumbles, seven Pro Bowl nods, five first-team All-Pro honors and one Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

That's a pretty strikingly similar Hall of Fame resume' compared to Kuechly, who also played eight seasons, racking up 1,092 tackles, 12.5 sacks, seven forced fumbles, 18 interceptions, seven Pro Bow trips, five first-team All Pros, one Rookie of the Year and one Defensive Player of the Year award. Both each made one trip to the Super Bowl, but their teams lost.

Put it another way, if Willis is in, Kuechly has to be in, as well.