Handing out Green Bay Packers 2023 regular season awards
Most Improved Player: Devonte Wyatt
Devonte Wyatt has been a slow burn to open his career after being a first-round pick in 2022. But his sophomore campaign was a marked improvement.
Wyatt still struggles against the run, and that's a big reason why he played almost exactly 50% of the defensive snaps this season. However, his play was far more dominant this season, especially in one-on-one matchups. It's almost effortless for Wyatt to win those situations; his most significant area to keep improving is now just finishing reps.
Still, Wyatt finished 2023 with 5.5 sacks, four more than he registered last season. He totaled 48 pressures and a pass rush win rate of 16.1%, good for sixth in the NFL for interior defensive linemen with at least 150 snaps. Of D-linemen in his 2022 draft class, he registered tops in pressures, sacks, and pass rush win rate this season.
TJ Slaton finished with more snaps than Wyatt, primarily due to his abilities against the run, where Wyatt still struggles. However, Wyatt's 36 tackles were 21 more than he recorded last season, and he posted double-digit quarterback hits for the first time in his young career.
Wyatt must fend off the rapidly ascending Karl Brooks for playing time in 2024. Still, if he can take another step in his game by improving against the run, Wyatt could position himself to be an eventual Kenny Clark replacement as the leader up front.