Packers must target Devin White in the first round of the draft

The Green Bay Packers have lacked speed in the middle of their defense for years. Devin White could be the answer.

It’s no secret that the Green Bay Packers defense has been a work in progress since the days of Bronco Nagurski. Since the departure of Nick Barnett midway through the 2010 season, the Packers have completely lacked competent linebacker play in the middle of their defense. Ted Thompson inexplicably made Jamari Lattimore the team’s primary middle linebacker in 2013, and only followed it up with the irreplaceable Jake Ryan.

Ryan, while a decent tackler, had about as much sideline-to-sideline athleticism as a 2,500-pound walrus that just housed down a Big Mac. Brian Gutekunst finally recognized this reality and selected Oren Burks in the third round of last year’s draft.

Burks is still extremely raw and has a long, long way to go before he is a consistent starter, but at least he can run a 40-yard dash in under the amount of time it took the Chicago Cubs to win another World Series.

The Packers defense has been given some important reinforcements at two of the three levels of the defense. Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith will give the Packers a pretty nasty pass rush if they can all stay healthy, and the arrival of Adrian Amos was one of the best signings of free agency by any team. What is still missing is a presence in the heart of the defense. Enter Devin White.

White is an absolute freak coming out of LSU. Coming into the backfield, he can destroy running plays with ease. He’s a tank at 240 pounds, but still has blazing speed to chase quarterbacks, tight ends, and running backs out of the backfield. The Packers are desperate for White’s skill set given the type of players in their division.

The Packers will face the human joystick, Tarik Cohen, twice a year going forward under the offensive-minded Matt Nagy. Cohen is incredibly shifty and is a tremendous challenge for any linebacker to track him down.

Kerryon Johnson packs a load for the Lions, as does the lightning quick Dalvin Cook for the Vikings. The Packers, as currently constructed, are ill-equipped to stop the run from within their division.

The Packers will also have to face Ezekiel Elliott, Christian McCaffrey, Melvin Gordon, and Saquon Barkley next season in addition to their division opponents. Mike Pettine is desperate for a star in the middle of his defense. Adding White will give the Packers the ability to let Blake Martinez focus on being a coverage linebacker, and make Oren Burks the primary backup.

White was arguably the best defensive player in all college football last year. Nick Bosa excelled at his specific role, while White had to do basically everything in the middle of the defense for the Tigers. Finally, the Packers spent some money in free agency, checking off some of their countless needs before draft night.

The Packers are likely going to have to trade up from No. 12 in order to get White. The immensely talented linebacker will be coveted by teams as high as the top-five, and may not be in play for the Packers at all. Many general managers make the mistake of trading way up for a player that while talented, will be similar to another prospect that will be available in the following year’s draft. Players like Devin White are not coming along very often.

At this point in Aaron Rodgers‘ career, it is not good enough for the Packers to draft Devin Bush, or any of the other prospects later in the draft that have been generating some buzz. The Packers have to add a true blue chip to their defense, who, when combined with their veteran additions in free agency, will bring the unit to a championship level.