Green Bay Packers NFL Draft: Top 5 defensive line targets
By Dan Dahlke
Northwestern Wildcats wide receiver
Miles Shuler(5) runs against Iowa Hawkeyes defensive lineman
Carl Davis(71). Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports
With the NFL Draft less than a month away, the Green Bay Packers‘ draft board is taking shape.
In previous weeks, we took a close look at five draft prospects the Packers could consider at their top positions of need: inside linebacker, cornerback, and tight end.
It’s now time to look at the Packers secondary positions of need. These are players Green Bay could consider on draft day to either add depth to a position or address a future need on the roster.
After the top three needs, I still see defensive line as a position the Packers could address in the draft, despite having re-signed B.J. Raji and Letroy Guion this offseason.
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The Packers also have a rising star in Mike Daniels and could still wait and see if third-year players Datone Jones and Josh Boyd develop into something on the field.
However, just because Raji and Guion will anchor the defensive line at nose tackle this next season doesn’t mean the Packers have shored up the position for the future.
Both players only signed one-year prove-it deals and their future in Green Bay remains cloudy.
The Packers could still use some size on the line and players that can hold up well against the run.
Well, let’s take a look at what they could get in the first few rounds of the draft.
I’ve already taken top talent Leonard Williams, Danny Shelton, and Malcom Brown off the board because I don’t think Green Bay will have a shot at drafting these players unless they trade up in the first round.
I also didn’t include Oregon’s Arik Armstead, who some see as a potential first-rounder and a legitimate 3-4 defensive end.
Armstead is a tough player to project in the draft, and a player who severely lacked production in college. In my opinion, he’s better suited on the interior in a 4-3 defense and don’t feel he’s a good fit for Green Bay.
Here are the five defensive lineman I feel the Packers could target in the first few rounds of the draft.
Next: Top DL Target?