NFL Draft: Super Six Packers Prospects at Outside Linebacker
GREEN BAY, Wis. – In a perfect world, the Green Bay Packers would roll Rashan Gary and Preston Smith onto the field for 17 starts and get a second-year jump from Kingsley Enagbare and some quality play from Justin Hollins.
It’s not a perfect world, though, as the Packers painfully learned when Gary suffered a torn ACL at Detroit at midseason. The Packers finished 27th with 34 sacks. That’s less than half the Eagles’ NFL-leading total.
Will Gary be ready for Week 1? Will he be back to his big, bad self at any point in 2023? The uncertainty there, and the lack of depth, make outside linebacker a pressing need. A strong draft class surely will entice general manager Brian Gutekunst.
Here are our Super Six prospects. An additional batch will be added before the draft begins on April 27.
For this story, we will skip Alabama’s Will Anderson and Texas Tech’s Tyree Wilson, who are destined to be top-10 picks.
1. Lukas Van Ness, Iowa
Lukas Van Ness (USA Today Sports Images)
Measureables: 6-5, 272 pounds, 34 arms. 4.58 40, 4.32 shuttle, 9.39 RAS.
Stats and accolades: Van Ness played only two seasons, tallying 13.5 sacks, 19.5 tackles for losses and zero forced fumbles. He was second-team all-Big Ten in 2022 with 6.5 sacks and 11 TFLs. He also blocked two punts. He never started a game for the upperclassman-driven program.
Analytical stats: Of 77 edge defenders with at least 250 pass-rushing snaps, he ranked 16th in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity, which measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-rushing snap. Of 90 players with 200 run-defending snaps, he ranked 12th in average depth per tackle. Of 100 players with 410 total snaps, he ranked 63rd in missed-tackle percentage. Of 32 edge defenders ranked by SIS, he ranked seventh in true pressure rate (pressures on pure dropbacks), last in hand-on-ball percentage (forced fumble, fumble recovery, deflection, interception) and first in bounce rate (percentage of times he forced the ball-carrier to a different gap). He forced three holding penalties.
How he fits: Van Ness and Rashan Gary aren’t exactly similar prospects but, it’s worth noting, both players are big, both players are explosive and both players are more upside than proven production. Green Bay’s first-round pick in 2019, Gary was far from a finished product as he waited behind Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith. Van Ness would have to bide his time behind Gary and Preston Smith. But the power and explosiveness are there to be an immediate contributor. As was the case with Gary, the best is yet to come.
“I have the ability to play all over the defensive line” he said at the Scouting Combine. “As you know, last year I played defensive tackle. And then this year, I played a little bit more defensive end. But I believe I bring everything in terms to the table in terms of in terms of playing the run and playing the pass. …
“Playing on our side of the conference in the Big Ten West, we had a lot of running games, so you had to love the run. And it was one of the favorite parts of the game for me, getting to line up from the guy across from you, coming out of your hips and blowing them up and setting the edge. It's definitely one of my favorite parts of the game.”
Personal touch: Van Ness is from Barrington, Ill., and grew up playing hockey as well as football.
“I played all the way to my senior year,” he said. “We actually had a pretty good team – made it to the Final Four at state but couldn’t play due to COVID. I attach hockey to a lot of my skills and my balance that I have today. Hockey requires a lot of agility. It’s a hard sport to play. It’s very physical. It’s very demanding. And a lot of those attributes contribute to the player I am today on the football field.”
His nickname is “Hercules,” a name given to him by a teammate, defensive tackle Noah Shannon.
“I think it’s a great nickname,” Van Ness said in August. “I even remember watching some of those mythical movies when I was younger. It just gives me a laugh to sometimes be compared to someone like Hercules.”
His father is a chiropractor who’s helped Van Ness stay healthy through two rugged sports.
“I’ve worked with four first-round picks in the last four drafts, and I’ve seen nothing but first-round film on Lukas,” Eddy McGilvra, who is working with Van Ness during the predraft process, just as he did with Aidan Hutchinson last year, told Hawk Central. “He’s a Day 1 starter in the NFL with the work ethic and traits to be a Pro Bowler over the years. I’d be shocked if he doesn’t go in the first 20 to 25 picks of this year’s draft.”
2. Myles Murphy, Clemson
Myles Murphy (USA Today Sports Images)
Measureables: 6-4 3/4, 268 pounds, 33 3/4 arms. 4.53 40, 4.29 shuttle, 9.71 RAS.
Stats and accolades: In three seasons, Murphy had 18.5 sacks, 37 tackles for losses and six forced fumbles. In 2022, he had 6.5 sacks, 11 TFLs, one forced fumble and a career-high three passes defensed. He went from Freshman All-American to second-team all-ACC to first-team all-ACC.
Analytical stats: Of 77 edge defenders with at least 250 pass-rushing snaps, he ranked 42nd in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity, which measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-rushing snap. Of 90 players with 200 run-defending snaps, he ranked 47th in average depth per tackle. Of 100 players with 410 total snaps, he ranked 50th in missed-tackle percentage. Of 32 edge defenders ranked by SIS, he ranked 24th in true pressure rate (pressures on pure dropbacks), eighth in hand-on-ball percentage (forced fumble, fumble recovery, deflection, interception) and sixth in bounce rate (percentage of times he forced the ball-carrier to a different gap). He forced two holding penalties.
How he fits: Murphy fits the big-guy mold personified by Rashan Gary, Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith. He is a big, explosive, physical dude. The six forced fumbles jump off the stat sheet. It’s a big-play league, after all. He’ll be an immediate asset against the run. However, his pass-rush game is going to take a lot of work. It’s hard to believe he’s really not that much better despite three seasons of extensive playing time. His physical tools are impressive but he’s going to have a hard time winning with just brawn against NFL offensive tackles.
“The biggest thing is versatility,” he said at the Combine. “I have film of playing from the 3 all the way out to a wide 9, two-point, three-point. Dominating in every gap, honestly. Great off the ball, great speed off the ball. Great point of attack. Being 275 pounds, I have the strength to go with it.”
Personal touch: Murphy didn’t go to Clemson to study basket weaving. Rather, his major was construction science and management.
“Aside from football and the NFL, I want to become and good father and husband,” he told ClemsonTigers.com. “One thing I have been looking forward to is either owning my own construction company or owning my own subcontracting business.”
Perhaps that construction company will help build a stadium he helps design.
Murphy’s father, Willard, was headed to Florida State to play running back before suffering a major knee injury. He wound up playing linebacker for Chattanooga and, eventually, in the USFL. Together, they had some mature conversations.
“We watch sports and we see what’s going on, the good things as well as the bad things,” Willard Murphy told 247 Sports, “and we’ll talk about the bad things and say if you think that person could take a decision back, would they do it different now. It’s a growing moment. What would you do different if you were faced with the same situation, form or fashion. We talk all the time about making good decisions and reaping the benefits of good decisions because you’re going to suffer the consequences of a bad decision.”
3. Nolan Smith, Georgia
Nolan Smith (USA Today Sports Images)
Measureables: 6-2 1/4, 238 pounds, 32 5/8 arms. 4.39 40, DNP shuttle, 9. 23 RAS.
Stats and accolades: In four seasons, Smith recorded 11.5 sacks, 21 tackles for losses, three forced fumbles, four passes defensed and one interception. All the turnover production came in 2021. A pectoral injury that required surgery limited him to eight games in 2022, when he had three sacks and seven TFLs.
Analytical stats: Had he gotten enough playing time to join our leaderboard, Smith would have ranked second in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity, which measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-rushing snap. Plus, he would have ranked second in average depth per tackle and 14th in missed-tackle percentage. Of 32 edge defenders ranked by SIS, he ranked first in true pressure rate (pressures on pure dropbacks) and first with Iowa’s Kyle Van Ness in bounce rate (percentage of times he forced the ball-carrier to a different gap). He forced zero holding penalties.
How he fits: The Packers don’t like undersized pass rushers. Will it be different with Smith? Guys like him are rare. At 238 pounds, he ran his 40 in 4.39 seconds and had a 41-inch vertical jump. His explosiveness is a factor with every moment of every play. Just look at the analytical numbers above. He’s a darned good run defender, though his limited heft will forever be an issue. He was beloved by the Georgia coaches, too, for his leadership, football character and red-hot motor.
“First, I have to go in there and prove myself to that team. I can't be a leader right out the gate,” he said at the Scouting Combine. “You have to prove yourself to the players and then the coaches. Hopefully, I can be that leader one day in somebody's program and just know I'm player lead. I'm self-driven. You are not going to have to tell me to go, I promise. I'm just going to go naturally on my own. I wake up out of bed juiced up. I'm just ready and excited. Best game in the world. I always tell people don't get down on yourself because this is the best game in the world.”
Personal touch: A five-star recruit, Smith spent his first two seasons as a backup. Why didn’t he transfer? “I’m not like other guys,” he said at the Scouting Combine. “Some guys, I wouldn’t say take the easy way out but when things don’t go their way, especially like in life now, guys transfer, guys leave. That’s just not how you do it. You stick in your program, you work hard and you prove to your coach that I should be on that field. … My mom always told me, you never had it easy in life so keep working.”
When he was out with the pectoral injury, Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart was thrilled that Smith kept leading. “He does a great job. He is like an extra coach because he is so enthusiastic and getting after it. He brings the energy.”
Smart gave Smith “20 percent” of the credit for the playoff win over Ohio State, even when he was out of the lineup.
Smith was a math major.
“Math came easy to me,” he said on The Jim Rome Show. Also because I'm an animal at repetition. I do it until you can't get it wrong. That's what we say at Georgia and that's what I believed in it in just my life. It's just some things about that equation that when you look at it. You just look at it there for a second and you learn how to manipulate it. It's like reading a tackle’s body language. When he gets down, he's going to tell you everything about the play.”
4. Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Kansas State
Felix Anudike-Uzomah (USA Today Sports Images)
Measureables: 6-3 1/8, 255 pounds, 33 1/2 arms. DNP 40, 4.34 shuttle, 8.73 RAS.
Stats and accolades: Anudike-Uzomah had 19.5 sacks, 25.5 tackles for losses and eight forced fumbles during his final two seasons. He burst onto the scene in 2021 with 11 sacks, 14.5 TFLs and an FBS-leading six forced fumbles to earn first-team all-conference. He was a second-team All-American in 2022 and the Big 12’s Defensive Player of the Year with 8.5 sacks, 11 tackles for losses and “only” two forced fumbles.
Analytical stats: Of 77 edge defenders with at least 250 pass-rushing snaps, he ranked 30th in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity, which measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-rushing snap. Of 90 players with 200 run-defending snaps, he ranked 55th in average depth per tackle. Of 100 players with 410 total snaps, he ranked 56th in missed-tackle percentage. Of 32 edge defenders ranked by SIS, he ranked 24th in true pressure rate (pressures on pure dropbacks), 15th in hand-on-ball percentage (forced fumble, fumble recovery, deflection, interception) and 22nd in bounce rate (percentage of times he forced the ball-carrier to a different gap). He forced two holding penalties.
How he fits: Anudike-Uzomah isn’t the 265-pound preference but his style certainly fits as a power player with the winning attitude that comes from being a self-made star. As Athlon Sports said in its scouting report: “He's explosive off the snap and flexible enough to dip and bend around the edge, but he's better when he can use his twitchy athleticism and violent hands to go speed-to-power, bullying blockers on his way to the quarterback.” All those forced fumbles will warm a position coach’s heart.
As he told The Draft Network: “One thing about my game is this, I’m always aware of when I’m around the quarterback. I’m always trying to work my hands and get that ball out when I’m close to recording a sack. I want that sack to be a strip-sack. I practice that ability every single day. Whenever we’re doing pass rush drills and working our finishing, I’m very aware of that. I’m trying to figure out how I can create a turnover. I’ve been pretty successful at doing that.”
Personal touch: Anudike-Uzomah was lightly recruited because he weighed only 220 pounds coming out of high school. At one point, he was headed to Missouri to be a “regular student.” Then, a couple days into the signing period, Kansas State surprised him with an offer.
“This was the only Power 5 offer I got,” Anudike-Uzomah told The Wichita Eagle. “Being under recruited put a big chip on my shoulder. That put a burden on my back to be the best player I can be at K-State.”
Not only was he light on pounds. He was light on production, too.
“In my high school career, for three seasons, I had like, seven sacks. Not even seven. Like, five,” he said after what should have been a record-setting performance.
A native of Kansas City, the draft will be held in his hometown.
“I’ve been working on this my whole life,” Anudike-Uzomah said at the Scouting Combine. “I’m a Kansas City guy drafted in Kansas City. My mom is proud about it and everybody in my city is proud about it, so I’m so excited to be drafted in Kansas City.”
How would he describe himself?
“I’m great to talk to, I’m kind of light-hearted,” Anudike-Uzomah said at the Combine. “Just basically, them going through my film and seeing what type of player I am: Afect the pass rusher, very high-energy and everything like that. I feel like that’s what GMs and coaches really like about a player for their organization.”
5. Keion White, Georgia Tech
Keion White (USA Today Sports Images)
Measureables: 6-4 7/8, 285 pounds, 34 arms. 4.76 40, DNP shuttle, 9.55 RAS (when run at defensive end rather than tackle).
Stats and accolades: In his first season on defense, 2019 at Old Dominion, he had 19 tackles for losses. ODU canceled its 2020 season due to COVID and a broken ankle limited him to four games in 2021. In 2022, he had 7.5 sacks, 14 tackles for losses and zero forced fumbles to earn third-team all-ACC.
Analytical stats: Of 77 edge defenders with at least 250 pass-rushing snaps, he ranked 11th in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity, which measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-rushing snap. Of 90 players with 200 run-defending snaps, he ranked 47th in average depth per tackle. Of 100 players with 410 total snaps, he ranked 23rd in missed-tackle percentage. Of 32 edge defenders ranked by SIS, he ranked 15th in true pressure rate (pressures on pure dropbacks), 27th in hand-on-ball percentage (forced fumble, fumble recovery, deflection, interception) and 10th in bounce rate (percentage of times he forced the ball-carrier to a different gap). He forced one holding penalty.
How he fits: The Packers like big outside linebackers. White isn’t just big. He’s enormous. He’s a power player and he knows it, which means a lot of no-nonsense rushes and edge-setting. With a high motor and room to grow fundamentally, his best days are ahead.
“At the beginning of the season I was trying to be a speed rusher because everybody was like, ‘You need to add more moves. You need to showcase your talent, that you can do other things,’” White said at the Scouting Combine. “And that wasn't me, so I wasn't being productive. Once I got back to being a powerful rusher and being dominant again, that's when my sack production picked up.”
He turned 24 in January, making him one of older prospects, but the Packers drafted a 24-year-old Devonte Wyatt last year, so age is just a number.
Personal touch: One of the great stories in the NFL Draft almost never happened. As a high school freshman in Garner, N.C., he weighed 150 pounds. As a junior, he was a 205-pound center. Recruiters weren’t exactly racing to his house.
“I was actually ready to go to the military. I had already taken the ASVAB [Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery] and wasn’t even thinking about going to college and playing football,” he told RamblinWreck.com.
A couple weeks before signing day, Old Dominion handed White a scholarship. As a two-star recruit, White arrived in 2017 as a tight end with no real NFL dreams.
“I was not recruited at all coming out of high school. When I got to go to college, I just planned on working in the workforce and being like one of y'all, just a normal person,” he said at the Scouting Combine.
After redshirting during that first season and catching 11 passes in 2018, the coaches moved him to defense for 2019. He agreed, with one condition.
“I was like, ‘I mean, OK. As long as I’m going to play,’” he said. “I tried it out for spring ball, and that spring ball, I did pretty good at defense. So, they said, ‘I think we’re going to stick with you.’ And the rest is history.”
White piled up 19 tackles for losses in 2019 – all while delivering pizza and taking classes. COVID canceled the 2020 season, and White transferred to Georgia Tech. After not playing in 2020, he missed most of the 2021 season after suffering a broken ankle playing basketball.
“It was a freak accident,” White, who had a predraft visit with the Packers, recalled. “I jumped up in the air. I came down, and there was a T-shirt on the baseline. I slipped on the T-shirt into the wall. My ankle went sideways. I actually put it back in place myself right there, because I thought it was just dislocated. 'OK, it's dislocated, just put it back.' And it was more than dislocated, for sure.”
White returned at far less than full strength for the end of the 2021 season, then produced a big-time 2022.
“Just because I get drafted first round, there’s first-round guys who do five years and are no longer in the league,” he said at pro day. “So I just want to continue to act like I’m not a highly sought-after player and work and keep grinding and doing what got me here to this point, and then actually do even more, for sure.”
6. Will McDonald, Iowa State
Will McDonald (USA Today Sports Images)
Measureables: 6-3 5/8, 239 pounds, 34 7/8 arms. 4.69 40, 4.22 shuttle, 9.67 RAS. (Note: It’s not uncommon for players to gain or lose a fraction of an inch or a few pounds between the Scouting Combine and pro day. McDonald, however, measured 6-4 1/4 at pro day – a 5/8-inch change.)
Stats and accolades: The Milwaukee native has the best numbers in the draft class with 34 sacks, 42 tackles for losses, 10 forced fumbles and eight passes defensed in 54 career games. He was first-team all-Big 12 in 2020 with 10.5 sacks and 13.5 TFLs and first-team All-American with 11.5 sacks, 14 TFLs and five forced fumbles in 2021. In 2022, however, he had only five sacks and 7.5 TFLs but a career-high four passes defensed to earn first-team all-conference for a third consecutive season. He beat Von Miller’s Big 12 sacks record.
Analytical stats: Of 77 edge defenders with at least 250 pass-rushing snaps, he ranked 40th in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity, which measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-rushing snap. Of 90 players with 200 run-defending snaps, he ranked 83rd in average depth per tackle. Of 100 players with 410 total snaps, he ranked 71st in missed-tackle percentage. Of 32 edge defenders ranked by SIS, he ranked 21st in true pressure rate (pressures on pure dropbacks), sixth in hand-on-ball percentage (forced fumble, fumble recovery, deflection, interception) and fifth in bounce rate (percentage of times he forced the ball-carrier to a different gap). He forced three holding penalties.
How he fits: McDonald’s size suggests a poor fit for Green Bay’s preferences but he had a predraft visit with the Packers, so they clearly like him. There’s plenty to like, from the sacks, to the fumbles to the coverage plays. He’s got a great first step and ability to bend around the corner. What stands out from a measurables perspective are those arms to take the fight to the offensive tackle. With a late start to football, he’s got room for growth. However, his lack of bulk will forever be a problem against the run.
“I would say maybe a little bit of linebacker, but rushing most of the time, getting a couple drops in coverage,” he said at the Scouting Combine. “Just being the versatile type of player, I feel like teams will use me. They can use me in basically any way they can. I'm a versatile type of player. I can play almost every position on defense. I could definitely be a diverse type of player. So whatever teams want to use, how they need to use it, that's what I'm going to do.”
Personal touch: How new is McDonald to the game? When he arrived at Wisconsin for a recruiting visit, he didn’t even know about one of the most famous names in football – even though he lived just miles from their hometown.
“I didn't know J.J. Watt at first when I first started playing football,” McDonald said at the Scouting Combine.
The story from 247 Sports is almost unbelievable.
Two games into McDonald’s varsity career at Waukesha (Wis.) North High School, the home-state Badgers started their recruiting pitch. McDonald and his high school coach, Michael Harris, took that aforementioned on-campus visit in 2016. Two Badgers legends, Barry Alvarez and Ron Dayne, were on hand.
For Harris, it was a who’s-who of Wisconsin football royalty. For McDonald, it was who’s that. As one of the recruiters started laying out the plan for Harris to follow in the footsteps of J.J. Watt and T.J. Watt, he asked if he had heard of the Watt brothers.
“No,” McDonald told him, “I don’t know any of them.”
Basketball was McDonald’s first love. Finally, at Harris’ constant urging, he gave football a shot for his junior year.
“I was a big basketball dude. I was always into basketball. I didn't really care too much about football,” McDonald said at the Combine. “My coach back in high school, Matt Harris, he's coming after me every other day to ask me to come play football. I'm like, ‘No, I'm good. I'm good, I'm good.’ And so one day I went out, he asked me if I could catch. I'm like, ‘Yeah, I could catch.’ I go out there and catch some ball.
“Then he asked me, he said, ‘All right, can you get down and try to get around this tackle?’ It was our freshman tackle. I'm like, ‘How am I supposed to do that.’” Harris showed him.
“So, I get down and I don't know what move I do, maybe a rip move to get it around the tackle. He was like, ‘Hold on, do that again’ because I end up winning the rep. And then the second time, he told me to just do whatever, so I tried to mix it up, but I end up doing the same move. I end up winning it again. He was like, ‘Hold up, do that one more time.’ And so I ended up beating him three times and then that's when we figured out, you know, I was a pass rusher. So, I just developed my game from there, tried to master it.”
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