Packers Need Speed at LB; This Draft Class Delivers

Kenneth Murray and Patrick Queen were two of eight off-the-ball linebackers faster than 4.60 in the 40 at the Scouting Combine.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Brian Gutekunst pulled no punches.

Is speed the most important thing at linebacker?

“Yeah, no doubt,” Gutekunst said at the end of the season.

Blake Martinez was the every-down inside linebacker the past three seasons. At the 2016 Scouting Combine, he ran his 40 in 4.71 seconds. B.J. Goodson, who took the majority of the snaps when the Packers went with two inside linebackers last season, ran his 40 in 4.69 at the 2016 Combine. In 2018, Gutekunst traded into the third round to grab Oren Burks, who ran his 40 in 4.59 seconds. In 2019, Gutekunst took a seventh-round flyer on Ty Summers, who ran his 40 in an impressive 4.51 seconds.

Especially when compared to Martinez and Goodson, this draft class is overflowing with speed. On Saturday night at the Scouting Combine, eight off-the-ball linebacker prospects ran their 40s in less than 4.6 seconds. That group was led by Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons, who solidified his place as a potential top-five pick with a startling 4.39.

He was followed by Mississippi State’s Willie Gay (4.46), Colorado’s Davion Taylor (4.49), LSU’s Patrick Queen (4.50), Temple’s Shaun Bradley (4.51), Oklahoma’s Kenneth Murray (4.52), Texas Tech’s Jordan Brooks (4.54) and Michigan’s Khaleke Hudson (4.56).

With Simmons almost certainly off the board long before the Packers are on the clock, the best of the rest are Murray and Queen.

Murray was an All-American with team-leading totals of 102 tackles and 17 tackles for losses. He added four sacks and four pass breakups. In three seasons, he piled up 335 tackles and 37 tackles for losses.

“I think the majority of that is just want-to,” he said on Thursday of his production. “I think my passion for the game, I think that’s something you’re going to see a lot when you watch me play ball. That’s all just want-to and just effort. I truly believe effort is between you and you, so getting to the ball and flying to the ball every play, I think that’s just a personal decision.”

Queen replaced Devin White and the defense hardly skipped a beat. In 14 games (11 starts), he had 77 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 9.5 tackles for losses, one interception and three passes defensed.

“Aggressive, smart, intelligent, high motor, just things like that,” is how he’d describe his game. “I’m very confident in my game. I feel like I can play multiple positions.”

Queen and Murray pulled up with apparent hamstring injuries on their second 40s, ending their nights. Neither injury is considered serious, sources said. Speaking of injuries, two options outside of Round 1, Oregon’s Troy Dye and Appalachian State’s Akeem Davis-Gaither, sat out due to recent surgeries. Dye (knee) said he’d be “100 percent” for Oregon’s pro day. Davis-Gaither will be in Green Bay next week for foot surgery.

Two other players who could be options outside of Round 1 are Wisconsin’s Zack Baun and Brooks. Baun, who is a candidate to move to linebacker after being a pass rusher for the Badgers, had a decent night with a 4.65 in the 40, 4.31 in the 20-yard shuttle. Brooks, who ran only the 40, earned several All-American honors and was a finalist for the Butkus Award following a senior season in which he led the team with 108 tackles, 20 tackles for losses and three sacks.

Gay won the broad jump (136 inches), followed by Simmons (132) and Murray (129). (Martinez, 113.)

Ohio State’s Malik Harrison won the three-cone drill (6.83), followed by Missouri’s Garrett Cale (6.91) and Michigan’s Joe Bachie (6.93). (Martinez, 6.98.)

Cale won the 20-yard shuttle (4.13), followed by Stanford’s Casey Toohill and Cal’s Evan Weaver (4.21 each). Most of the top prospects are waiting until their pro days for this important drill. (Martinez, 4.20.)

Montana’s Dante Olson won the vertical jump (42 inches), followed by Gay (39.5) and Simmons, LSU’s Jacob Phillips and Stanford’s Casey Toohill (39 each). (Martinez, 28.5.)

Hudson won the bench press (30 reps at 225 pounds), with Bachie (26) and Baun (24) next. (Martinez, 22.)

The slowest in the 40? Cale ran a 4.92, Olson 4.88, Tennessee’s Daniel Bituli 4.84 and Utah’s Francis Bernard 4.81.