These Linebackers Might Not Be on Packers’ NFL Draft Board

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Linebacker ranks toward the bottom of the list of NFL Draft priorities for the Green Bay Packers.

Quay Walker is back for Year 4, Edgerrin Cooper is coming off an All-Rookie season and Isaiah McDuffie re-signed before the start of free agency. While Eric Wilson left in free agency, 2024 third-round pick Ty’Ron Hopper should be ready for a bigger role and veteran Kristian Welch was brought back.

However, there’s no depth. Literally there is none. Those are the only five players under contract. They kicked the tires on a former top-10 pick but he has not been signed.

Looking at this year’s draft class and general manager Brian Gutekunst’s history, here are the prospects who fit the best and those who might not fit at all, with the focus of this story the Day 3 prospects.

Height and Weight and Length

Gutekunst has drafted seven linebackers. None were shorter or lighter than McDuffie, a sixth-round pick in 2021 who was 6-foot-1 1/4 and 227 pounds with 30 1/4-inch arms.

Linebackers who are shorter than 6-foot-1 that could be available in Day 3: Mississippi’s Chris Paul Jr. (6-foot 7/8), Auburn’s Eugene Asante (6-foot 7/8), Penn State’s Kobe King (6-foot 3/4), Kentucky’s Jamon Dumas-Johnson (6-foot 3/4), Indiana’s Jalin Walker (6-foot 3/8), Clemson’s Barrett Carter (6-foot 1/8), Iowa’s Jay Higgins (6-foot 1/8), Memphis’ Chandler Martin (5-11 7/8) and Oklahoma State’s Nick Martin (5-foot-11 1/2).

Linebackers who weigh 225 pounds or less that could be available in Day 3: Iowa’s Higgins (224), Auburn’s Asante (223), Mississippi’s Paul (222), UCLA’s Kain Medrano (222), Oklahoma State’s Martin (221) and Indiana’s Walker (219).

Linebackers with arms of 30 inches or shorter that could be available in Day 3: None. From that perspective, McDuffie was a rare prospect.

The 40 and 10

According to Mockdraftable, the historic Scouting Combine average for a linebacker in the 40 is 4.704 seconds. The average for the first 10-yards is 1.614. All of Gutekunst’s drafted linebackers beat the 40 average, with Hopper the slowest in 4.68. Hopper also had the slowest 10-yard split of 1.64 seconds.

Linebackers slower than 4.70 that could be available in Day 3: Minnesota’s Cody Lindenberg (4.71), Iowa’s Higgins (4.82) and UNLV’s Jackson Woodard (4.87).

Linebackers with slow 10-yard splits: Florida’s Shemar James (1.68), Minnesota’s Lindenberg (1.69), UNLV’s Woodard (1.71).

Broad Jump

The historic Combine average for a linebacker in the broad jump is 9 feet, 9 inches. All of Gutekunst’s linebackers reached at least 10 feet. At numerous positions, it seems this is an important tool for Green Bay.

Linebackers who were at the Combine average or worse: Mississippi’s Paul (9-9), Florida’s James (9-9), Notre Dame’s Jack Kiser (9-9), UNLV’s Woodard (9-9), Clemson’s Carter (9-8) and Iowa’s Higgins (9-2).

20-Yard Shuttle

The 20-yard shuttle used to be important but not so much anymore. Cooper’s 4.27 seconds beat the historic Combine average of 4.305 but the previous three picks – Hopper (4.48), Walker (4.32) and McDuffie (4.39) – did not.

Relative Athletic Score

Relative Athletic Score takes all of a player’s testing results and puts them on a 0-to-10 scale relative to other players at his position.

Here are the scores for Gutekunst’s linebackers: Cooper, 9.12; Hopper, 7.42; Walker, 9.63; McDuffie, 7.32; Kamal Martin (injured); Ty Summers, 9.71; Oren Burks, 9.72. Those are all high marks, and an interesting juxtaposition to former general manager Ted Thompson, who was all over the map, from A.J. Hawk’s 9.67 and Jake Ryan’s 8.54 to a three-year run of Sam Barrington (4.13 in 2013), Terrell Manning (3.46 in 2012) to D.J. Smith (0.44 in 2011).

Looking at the entire linebacker class and not just Day 3 candidates, these players scored less than 7.00: Oregon’s Jeffrey Bassa (6.83), Mississippi’s Paul (6.13), Rutgers’ Tyreem Powell (6.03), Florida’s James (5.66), UNLV’s Woodard (4.39) and Iowa’s Higgins (3.46).

Best Fits at Linebacker for Packers

From purely a size-speed perspective, these might be the best Day 3 fits at linebacker for the Packers. It’s not a deep class, so some potential baselines were stretched with a couple late-round prospects, just like they were with McDuffie (arm length) in 2021.

Ohio State’s Cody Simon: 6-1 7/8, 232. 31 3/4 arms. 4.60 40, no broad, 8.35 RAS.

UCLA’s Kain Medrano: 6-2 7/8, 222. 32 5/8 arms. 4.46 40, 10-5 broad, 9.83 RAS.

Cal’s Teddye Buchanan: 6-2 1/8, 233. 31 3/8 arms. 4.60 40, 10-5 broad, 9.42 RAS.

Miami’s Francisco Mauigoa: 6-2 1/8, 233. 31 3/4 arms. 4.60 40, 10-1 broad, 9.14 RAS.

Collin Oliver, Oklahoma State: 6-1 3/4, 240. 30 3/4 arms. 4.56 40, 10-6 broad, 9.74 RAS.

Washington’s Carson Bruener: 6-1 1/4, 227. 31 3/4 arms. 4.58 40, 9-11 broad, 8.85 RAS.

Kentucky’s Jamon Dumas-Johnson: 6-foot 3/4, 236. 32 arms. 4.60 40, 10-6 broad, 8.98 RAS.

Pittsburgh’s Brandon George: 6-foot-3 1/4, 246. 33 arms. 4.65 40, 10-8 broad, 9.98 RAS.

Players You Might Cross Off the Draft Board

Defense: Edge rushers | Defensive tackles

Offense: Offensive line | Tight ends | Receivers | Running backs | Quarterbacks