Green Bay Packers: Eyes on Ryan Glasgow, Big Ten punisher
While the cornerback position is hands-down the Green Bay Packers’ greatest area of need as we gradually inch closer to this year’s late April draft, one can argue that all three levels of defense can use an infusion of young talent capable of stepping in and making an immediate impact on a unit suddenly devoid of the types of playmakers that can win ballgames.
And while edge players are usually the ones afforded national recognition for producing double-digit sack seasons, that glory is often the result of the grunt work put in by the guys that have to bite, tug, scratch or claw their way along the interior just to gain a few inches in the hopes of disrupting the offense.
The 2016 Packers lacked sufficient depth along the interior and a top-rated run defense during the first quarter of the season steadily regressed during the balance of the year with running backs routinely gashing the line of scrimmage for big yardage numbers.
A quick glance at the weekly box scores indicate that in their first eight games, opponents were held to 60 yards or fewer six times. In five of those eight weeks, the Dom Capers-led unit held the offense to 3 yards per carry or fewer.
The second half painted a different picture, however, with the Packers giving up an average of 77 yards to the adversary’s leading rusher compared to 53.6 yards in the first eight games.
In fact, teams routinely owned the trenches by averaging 4.5 yards per carry in seven of the remaining eight contests down the stretch.
While Mike Daniels was an every-week stalwart that led his fellow line mates with four sacks, the only other full-time lineman to register any stats in that department was rookie Dean Lowry, who finished the year with two sacks in a part-time role.
The 31-year-old Letroy Guion faded as the season wore on and struggled versus the run and pass as a direct result of probably playing too many snaps.
Former Packer (and current New York Jet) Mike Pennel, on the other hand, was a shadow of the forceful player he was developing into over his first two NFL seasons before being penalized a second time for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy with another four-game suspension.
First-round pick Kenny Clark showed flashes late, but went through long stretches where he struggled to disengage from blockers and gain any consistent penetration.
And though the free-agent market can certainly supply some much-needed inside juice – namely in the form of Calais Campbell – counting on the Packers’ front office to secure a big name among the available UFAs would be like counting on an orange-haired billionaire to make America great again … according to who you talk to, of course.
GM Ted Thompson isn’t winning any popularity contests among the Cheesehead faithful at the moment, but could sway a few fans in his corner by using at least five of his eight draft picks on the defensive side of the ball.
And since the Packers rarely dabble in shopping for free agents, the team will need three or four of those selections to contribute as rookies.
Today we are going to focus on one defensive lineman with Day-2 upside that has the physical attributes to galvanize the front line and help it become the kind of an impenetrable wall that would make our fearless leader of the free world proud.
Read on …