Green Bay Packers 2018 roster review: Jake Ryan

Reviewing Jake Ryan’s 2017 season and previewing what is to come for the former Michigan standout.

When the Green Bay Packers drafted Jake Ryan in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL draft, fans rejoiced.

Not only did the Packers fill a huge need on defense, inside linebacker, they also got one of the best linebackers in the draft.

Many Packers fans live in the Midwest, so watching Jake Ryan on Saturdays in the all to familiar Michigan blue and maize was a weekly event.

When the Packers selected him in the fourth round, most knew his name and what he was capable of. Ryan was a standout player at Michigan. He was a member of the first-team All-Big Ten. Also in his senior season, Ryan was a finalist for the coveted Dick Butkus Award.

However, it hasn’t been all sunshine and flowers for Ryan in the NFL. He has struggled to fill the inside linebacker position, a position of dire need for the Packers for years now.

After the Packers drafted Blake Martinez, in 2016, his stats have gone up, however, he has yet to really make an impact in Green Bay.

Related Story: Packers roster review: Blake Martinez

Season in review

In 2017, Ryan 79 total tackles per Pro Football Reference. Good numbers? Yes. However, it took Ryan three seasons to record his first sack. He is lacking with those “impact play” stats.

In a system that runs a lot of blitzes, only one sack in a three-year span is not good at all. It has been hard for Ryan to make plays.

Because of that, the inside linebacker position is still a dire need for the Packers, even with Martinez becoming one of the best for the young Packers defense.

Overall, it was just an average season for Ryan. His 2017 season compares very well with his 2016 season, sans the first sack of his career in 2017.

Looking ahead to 2018

The Packers were hoping Ryan would take some of the pressure (no pun intended) off of Nick Perry and aging star Clay Matthews. Week in and week out, the success of the pass rush has relied on Perry and Matthews. That needs to change if the Packers want to become a force on defense once more.

Perry and Matthews have faced multiple injuries over their careers, even when one is off the field, it’s hard for the Packers to get a potent pass rush going. Ryan was drafted for those times when Perry and/or Matthews couldn’t play, and so far he hasn’t lived up to the hype.

Ryan is still under his rookie contract he signed in 2015. Which means he will be with the Packers through 2019, but if the numbers stay how they are now, Ryan may be looking for a job after his contract expires.

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Hopefully that isn’t the case. As a Big 10 fan, I watched Ryan at Michigan. I know what he is capable of. He has two years to make a case for his stay in Green Bay. It will be exciting to see what he can do during that time.