Gutekunst Watches Linemen, Linebackers at Ohio State
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has been at pro days hosted by Northwestern, Florida State, Clemson, Alabama and, on Tuesday, Ohio State.
If you’re looking for a common tie, perhaps it’s because Gutekunst is focusing on offensive linemen and cornerbacks for next month’s NFL Draft.
Northwestern’s top prospects are cornerback Greg Newsome and offensive tackle Rashawn Slater.
Florida State’s top prospect is cornerback Asante Samuel Jr.
Clemson’s top prospects of interest are running back Travis Etienne – perhaps a first-round option before the surprise re-signing of Aaron Jones – and offensive lineman Jackson Carman.
Alabama’s top prospects of interest are cornerback Patrick Surtain, defensive tackle Christian Barmore and offensive linemen Landon Dickerson and Alex Leatherwood.
Ohio State’s top prospects of interest are guard Wyatt Davis, center Josh Myers, linebackers Baron Browning and Pete Werner, and cornerback Shaun Wade.
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For all the heights, weights and testing data, check out Bucknuts’ list or this thread from Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy.
Davis measured 6-foot-4 and 315 pounds with offensive tackle-like 33 7/8-inch arms. He put up 25 reps on the bench but didn’t go through other tests as he recovers from a knee injury that bothered him for most of the season. After his workout, he proclaimed himself “100 percent” healthy.
Myers measured 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds and put up 29 reps on the bench but didn’t go through other testing following surgery to repair a turf-toe injury that developed into something worse during the College Football Playoffs.
“I did get a turf toe injury in the Big Ten Championship Game,” Myers said. “And then I decided to play through it in the Clemson game and ended up hurting it significantly worse in the Clemson game. And then I played in the Alabama game and got an MRI after the season ended and got surgery on my foot. I tore my foot up pretty good. I broke a bone underneath there and had an avulsion of the tension on another bone underneath my foot so I got surgery.”
The Packers need to replace All-Pro Corey Linsley and Myers could fill the void if Gutekunst wanted to tap into the same Ohio State pipeline that delivered Linsley. He was second-team all-Big Ten in 2019 and a first-team choice in 2020. Pro Football Focus charged him with two sacks allowed. One team’s Midwest scout said his club considered Alabama’s Dickerson, Oklahoma’s Creed Humphrey and Myers the best centers in the draft.
“I think my biggest weakness right now is I get myself in a bad position right now sometimes at the second level in the run game,” Myers said. “Sometimes I’m just too aggressive. Trying to get a kill shot on a linebacker will put me in a bad position sometimes.”
At 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds, Browning ran his 40 in 4.58 seconds with a 40-inch vertical and 4.23 in the 20-yard shuttle, according to Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy. At 6-foot-3 and 238 pounds, the steady Werner ran his 40 in 4.58 with a 39.5-inch vertical and 4.38 shuttle.
Wade manned the slot his first couple seasons at Ohio State before moving to the outside for 2020. While he was named the Big Ten’s Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year, Pro Football Focus charged him with seven touchdowns allowed. He is coming back from turf toe and will perform in front of scouts on April 14.
Even if he is “only” a slot defender, he could be an upgrade over Chandon Sullivan as a mid-round choice.
