PFF Mock: Packers Select Linebacker
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers have obvious needs on offense, where Aaron Rodgers struggled due to a lack of weapons.
However, there is also a glaring need at inside linebacker, where the starting tandem of Blake Martinez and B.J. Goodson are heading to free agency. Martinez has finished first or second in the league in tackles each of the past three seasons. By the coaches’ count, he set a franchise record with 203 tackles this season. However, his lack of range was evident in the NFC Championship Game against San Francisco, and he defended only two passes despite being the team’s every-down linebacker.
So, in ProFootballFocus.com’s first mock draft of the year, that scouting organization mocked Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray to Green Bay at No. 30. In this mock, Murray and LSU’s Patrick Queen were available.
“Mike Pettine’s defense asks their middle linebacker to cover a ton of ground with how often they run dime. Few can cover as much ground in this class as Murray can,” read part of PFF’s summary.
We took Murray in our Mock Draft 1.0.
In the mock draft posted by Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller, Murray went to Baltimore at No. 28. Here’s what Miller wrote about Murray: “Murray dominated at Oklahoma—I remember watching him tally 18 tackles against Army last season when he firmly entered the 2020 draft conversation—and has shown the instincts and most importantly the speed to be a threat as an every-down ‘backer. He can play middle or weak-side, which is great for a team that will likely be in a two-linebacker set most often.”
