Interior pressure changes everything.
Protections slide differently, quarterbacks lose escape lanes, and edge rushers suddenly find cleaner paths to the passer. For Gracen Halton, he made that reality impossible to ignore during a dominant Senior Bowl week, positioning himself as one of the most disruptive interior defensive linemen in Mobile and a legitimate Day 2 target for GM Brian Gutekunst. It's a significant area of need for the Green Bay Packers.
Halton officially measured in at 6-foot-2, 293 pounds, but his impact far outweighed the numbers. From run-fit periods to one-on-one pass-rush reps, he consistently stressed blockers with a compact, powerful build and explosive first-step quickness. Guards struggled to square him up, and centers had difficulty re-anchoring once Halton got into their frame.
Green Bay Packers could address a major need by drafting Gracen Halton at No. 52 overall
What separates Halton from many interior defenders, however, is how his twitch forces offenses to account for him immediately. Long arms aren’t a prerequisite for disruption when burst, hand speed, and leverage show up together.
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Halton’s get-off and interior penetration demand help inside, pulling running backs and tight ends into protection on the edges. That shift alters coverage math on the back end, shrinking the number of eligible receivers defenses have to account for and creating advantageous one-on-ones outside.
And when diving into the tape, the production mirrors the practice dominance.
Halton finished the 2025 season in Norman with 30 pressures and five sacks, consistently collapsing pockets from the interior. Over his final two seasons with the Sooners, he totaled 59 pressures and nine sacks, showcasing both durability and a proven ability to affect quarterbacks from multiple alignments (nose/1/2i/3).
In Green Bay’s defensive structure, Halton projects as a presence inside who would free up alignment-versatile edge defenders already present in Micah Parsons and Rashan Gary, allowing the Packers to dictate protections rather than chase them.
Halton may not carry prototype measurables, but his Senior Bowl performance reinforced a clear truth in that he can flat out play ball within the middle.