Packers 2019 Draft: Rashan Gary a high-risk, high-reward pick

The Green Bay Packers made a bit of a surprise on draft night, selecting Michigan’s Rashan Gary with their first pick in the draft.

After Devin Bush, Devin White, and Josh Allen were off the board, the Green Bay Packers decided to stay where they were in the draft and add former Michigan defensive end Rashan Gary. The pick was a bit of a surprise, as many had Gary falling late into the first round and early second round. Gary was the nation’s top recruit coming out of high school, but never lived up to his potential at Michigan.

Gary had an extremely underwhelming 9.5 sacks during his three years at Michigan. The Packers passed on drafting a number of offensive linemen, as well as Noah Fant at tight end out of Iowa. The move is an extremely high-risk, high-reward move for Green Bay. Gary has absurd potential, but just couldn’t live up to his billing in college.

It is now up to the Packers to unlock the true potential that Gary has. General manager Brian Gutekunst has absolutely blasted the team’s front seven, adding Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith in free agency, and now Gary in the draft. If Gary can live up to his potential, the Packers may have the league’s best defensive front. Middle linebacker, safety, offensive line, and tight end are all still extremely pressing needs for the team going forward as the draft continues to unfold.

The Packers could have presumably traded down from number 12 and still had the opportunity to draft Gary, but clearly the brain trust of the Packers is of the mindset that they will be able to unlock Gary’s absurd potential. This pick could either go very well, or very poorly. Gary will likely start his career with the Packers at outside linebacker, just as the team announced he would in their official press release.