Green Bay Packers History Guides Look at 2021 NFL Draft Defensive Tackles

The Green Bay Packers could use some help on the defensive line. Here's a look at the state of the Packers and who might not be a consideration based on draft history.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Apr 26, 2021 4:13 PM EDT

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Here’s a look at the Green Bay Packers’ defensive tackle situation ahead of the NFL Draft, including pertinent history that suggests which draft-worthy prospects might not be a target.

State of the Packers

Defensive line is a big need for the Packers. With disappointing production following a monster contract extension, Kenny Clark will be back to anchor the unit, and up-and-coming Kingsley Keke and former Northwestern players Dean Lowry and Tyler Lancaster remain on the roster. However, underachieving former third-round pick Montravius Adams signed with New England in free agency, and veterans Damon Harrison and Billy Winn remain unsigned. That leaves only Anthony Rush, Willington Previlon and edge-rusher convert Delontae Scott. They played a combined one snap (Rush) last season.

Draft Position Ranking

11th out of 11. The Packers are on the wrong side of the supply vs. demand ledger. This is a terrible draft class. Alabama’s Christian Barmore and Washington’s Levi Onwuzurike might go in the first round but that might be more by default than talent. Based on sheer talent alone, a scout from a 3-4 team said his club had six players with grades worthy of being selected in the first through third rounds. More might be taken simply because teams need big guys.

History Says You Can (Maybe) Forget These Guys

Since the move to a 3-4 scheme in 2008, the Packers have selected 16 defensive linemen. Generally speaking, they prefer athletes. The Scouting Combine average for a defensive lineman in the 40-yard dash is 5.11, according to MockDraftable.com. The Packers’ average is 5.00. Since B.J. Raji ran a 5.23 in the 40 at 337 pounds in 2009, only one Packers pick has run slower than the Combine average: Josh Boyd, who missed the mark by 0.03.

The Combine average in the 20-yard shuttle – always a key tool for the Packers – is 4.64 seconds. The Packers’ average is 4.55. Only five Packers ran slower: First-round bomb Justin Harrell (4.79), Raji (4.69), Boyd (4.65, again just missing the average) and third-round flops Khyri Thornton (4.76) and Montravius Adams (4.89). Adams’ 4.87 in the 40 swung things in his favor.

The Combine average for the three-cone drill is 7.67 seconds. The Packers’ average is 7.52. Only two Packers picks were slower than the Combine average: the mammoth Raji (7.90) and Thornton (7.83), who sticks out like a sore thumb at merely 304 pounds.

Relative Athletic Score is a handy way to check how prospects rank against their peers on a 0 to 10 range, with 0 being the worst athlete imaginable and 10 being a freak. RAS has been largely ignored, though. Jarius Wynn (2009) was a 1.33 while James Looney (2018) was a 9.75. In Brian Gutekunst’s three drafts, he’s selected only two defensive linemen: Looney and Kingsley Keke (2019), who had a RAS of 8.00. So, maybe Gutekunst covets athleticism. Or, maybe it’s just too small a sample size.

Arm length is a great trait for a defensive lineman, but Lowry’s 31-inch arms ranked far below the historic average of about 33 1/8. Finally, since the move to the 3-4, Raji is the only true big guy the Packers have selected. Clark (314) was the only other linemen drafted at more than 310.

So, who could be out? Based on 40 times: LSU’s Tyler Shelvin (5.38 40 at 350 pounds), Pitt’s Jaylen Twyman (5.39 at just 301 pounds), Michigan State’s Naquan Jones (5.45 40 at 313 pounds). Based on shuttle/three-cone times: BYU’s Kryiris Tonga (4.73 shuttle, 7.83 three-cone at 325 pounds), Florida State’s Marvin Wilson (4.83 shuttle, 7.71 three-cone at 303 pounds),USC’s Jay Tufele (4.90 shuttle, 7.81 three-cone at 305 pounds), Shelvin (5.08 shuttle, 8.15 three-cone at 350 pounds), Twyman (DNP shuttle, 8.00 three-cone at 301), Arkansas State’s Forrest Merrill (4.81 shuttle, 8.24 three-cone at 322), Florida’s Tedarrell Slaton (4.84 shuttle; 7.91 shuttle, one suspension at 330 pounds) and Kentucky’s Quinton Bohanna (5.15 shuttle, 8.21 three-cone at 327 pounds).

Saving the best for last is the best defensive line prospect in the class, Alabama’s Christian Barmore. At 6-foot-4 1/8 and 310 pounds, he ran an excellent 40 (4.97) but missed the mark in the shuttle (4.75) and three-cone (7.81). Adams’ 40 outweighed his three-cone in 2017, so the same could be true for Barmore, but would the Packers use a first-round pick on a flawed prospect with subpar testing? Iowa’s Daviyon Nixon, a Kenosha native, ran a 4.71 shuttle but could be saved, like Adams, by his 4.86 in the 40.