Earlier this week, during the NFL’s annual league meeting, Brian Gutekunst did his media scrum, when he might have revealed part of his draft plan pertaining to the linebacker .
The Green Bay Packers will use a 4-3 base defense under Jeff Hafley, which means that three inside linebackers will be on the field more often. Five or six guys on a team that plays a 4-3 base defense are frequently eligible to play a considerable amount of inside linebacker snaps. Only De’Vondre Campbell, Quay Walker, and Isaiah McDuffie were the starting inside linebackers on Green Bay’s first 53-man roster in 2023. Tariq Carpenter, a safety who was converted to a linebacker, was a development project, while Eric Wilson was the team’s special teams ace. In 2024, the Packers will need to add additional inside backers to their roster. Only Wilson, Walker, McDuffie, and practice squad signee Kristian Welch are listed on the depth chart.
Gutekunst was questioned about the linebacker position at the league’s annual meeting. Regarding McDuffie, Wilson, and Welch playing more defensive snaps this season, he was upbeat. However, he also talked about his thoughts on linebacker scouting and whether or not to select linebackers that are adept at covering passes (Will linebacker), establishing the edge and rushing the passer (Sam linebacker), or defending the center of the field (Mike linebacker).
For me, you got to be very careful about pigeonholing these guys in positions that can only be a certain skillset, because you have so many injuries in this game. He might be a strong-side (Sam) linebacker today, but you might be starting at Will or Mike for five or six games. They’ve got to be able to do all of that. So from a personnel man’s perspective, I want these guys as versatile as can be so when these things do pop up you don’t have to change the way you play.
Saying you want a player to be able to do everything is not exactly groundbreaking. However, it may indicate that the Packers will lean away from players with a strong deficiency in an area of their game. Let’s start with athleticism. As many Packers fanatics know, the team tends to target and prioritize high-level athletes with strong Relative Athletic Scores.
After the combine, the following athletes had the highest RAS: Trevin Wallace (9.64), Edefuan Ulofoshio (9.54), Edgerrin Cooper (9.34), Jordan Magee (9.29), Curtis Jacobs (9.09), and Cedric Gray (8.18). Let’s quickly review these athletes. Trevin Wallace and Edgerrin Cooper are reportedly scheduled to visit the Packers as part of their top-30 roster. It appears to at least suggest that Green Bay is investigating the role thoroughly.
In the end, Payton Wilson (ranked 51st) and Cooper (ranked 40th)—who both profile as the top two backs in the class—might be the best “fits” for the Packers based on their consensus big board rankings. They also finished as the top two linebacker defenders in the FBS last season, according to PFF. Wilson scored an 89.9 defensive grade, while Cooper scored 90.8. It’s interesting to note that both guys had good marks (over 70) in coverage, pass rush, tackling, and run defense.
The Packers’ decision to select either player or not will be the key question. The Packers usually like to target premium positions like tackle, pass-rusher, or quarterback with their first picks. But with five picks in the top 100 and Wilson and Cooper projected as second-round picks, Brian Gutekunst might feel more comfortable selecting a high-end player at a non-premium spot, particularly if they have an athletic profile and skill set that is well-rounded like Wilson or Cooper.
