5 Packers players set to turn heads at 2021 training camp

4. Rashan Gary

Watching Rashan Gary late last season, it felt like he was on the verge of becoming a star pass rusher. His performances improved as the year went on. His sack numbers increased and, even when he wasn’t bringing down the quarterback, he was impacting the game by generating pressure regularly.

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Gary had a disruption rate of 15.1 percent, ninth-best in the NFL last season.

Gary has worked incredibly hard to improve his game since being drafted in the first round two years ago, and he could now be set for a breakout season.

That could become clear during the summer.

It’s going to be interesting to see if Gary is a starter on defense next to Za’Darius Smith, or whether Preston Smith is still the preferred choice ahead of Gary.

Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated wrote that Gary was the “best player on the field” during minicamp, and I fully expect those impressive performances to continue throughout the summer.

It was always going to take Gary some time to develop at the NFL level, but he’s been improving over the course of his first two seasons in the league. This could be a huge season for the third-year edge rusher, and we’ll see a preview at training camp.