Prospects the size of offensive tackle Daniel Faalele don’t come around every year. At 6’8”, 387 lbs., you won’t find a larger presence in this draft class.
Area of concern No. 1 in the draft for the Green Bay Packers will be wide receiver. However, with four picks in the top 60, they won’t only seek weapons to throw to. So why not take a shot on a raw talent like Faalele?
The former Minnesota Golden Gopher is that he didn’t play organized football for the first time until 2016. However, he was flying up draft boards by the time he wrapped up his college career in the Big Ten.
Sure, some of it is Faalele’s sheer size, but scouts also saw a player who started to come into his own and dominate at the line of scrimmage from the tackle position. Many teams like Green Bay could be licking their chops at the chance to draft him.
The Packers typically like versatile offensive linemen. Elgton Jenkins can play any of the five spots on the O-line, and last year they did their fair share of scooting Lucas Patrick around from center to guard. Green Bay also had Billy Turner play right tackle for most of the year before switching to left tackle in their lone playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Faalele doesn’t offer that type of versatility. He’s still somewhat raw for his position, but he could become an All-Pro-type talent at right tackle if everything comes together.
His growth with the Golden Gophers was evident. The difference in his confidence from his first starts to his most recent games is clear on the game tape. What his ceiling could be is anyone’s guess, which makes him incredibly intriguing.
Per Pro Football Network, there’s already a ton that Faalele does really well.
With immense size comes incredible strength. In pass protection, Faalele demonstrates an impressive anchor with his sheer lower body strength. It helps that he routinely displays a wide base, but his anchor is rooted in strength. Furthermore, he uses this strength to move people up the field or onto the floor as a run blocker. His competitive toughness is glaringly apparent. He revels in putting a man on the ground.
Faalele’s strength also shows up in his hand usage. The Minnesota OT has a potent initial punch, routinely knocking defensive linemen and pass-rushing linebackers back at the point of attack with a single strike. He also has an impressively firm grasp when he gets his hand placement right. With hands measuring in at 11″, you’d be disappointed if he didn’t.
His size helps a lot, but it’s not what Faalele hangs his hat on. He just wisely uses his size to his advantage.
Questions linger at offensive tackle for Green Bay. David Bakhtiari tried making an admirable comeback last year following a torn ACL the year prior, but it never got fully pieced together, and he was inactive for Green Bay’s playoff loss to the 49ers. Another offseason to rest up and get right should do wonders. It should be a safe bet to pencil in Bakhtiari at left tackle for the Packers this fall. But uncertainty lies on the other side of the line.
Billy Turner is gone, one of a few cap casualties that the Packers had to part ways with. Dennis Kelly is a free agent, and there hasn’t been anything resembling a whisper of him coming back to Green Bay. Elgton Jenkins could be a prime candidate to slide over to right tackle, but he’ll be coming off a torn ACL suffered during the season, and it’s unknown if he’ll be even close to ready come September. Yosh Nijman is back in the fold and could be the solution at right tackle to start the year. Nijman was brilliant in spot duty for the Packers last year, but there’s no long-term contract in place.
All of it leads to the Packers potentially needing a permanent replacement at right tackle. Faalele could be the missing puzzle piece.
If there’s one thing the Green Bay Packers love doing, it’s drafting offensive lineman. Every time fans think they’ll zig and take a playmaker on offense, they zag and take a lineman.
The Packers need help at wide receiver, but they have four picks in the top 60 to address that. The tackle position is one of those other areas of need they could shore up. Don’t be surprised if they scoop up a tackle at the back end of the second round or somewhere in the third. If Daniel Faalele is on the board, he should be their guy.
