There were a lot of highlights for the Green Bay Packers’ young players on Friday night. But I haven’t seen much buzz around Colby Wooden, the fourth-round rookie defensive tackle.
Wooden and sixth-rounder Karl Brooks are transitioning from edge rushers to 3-4 defensive ends. That means they will be rushing a lot more from the inside, between the tackles. They both saw plenty of playing time against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Wooden shined in his NFL debut. He rushed with purpose and was good at controlling his offensive lineman one-on-one. He kept his head up and his eyes on the quarterback. He also did an excellent job of knocking offensive lineman’s hands down. The former Auburn Tiger was disruptive on most of his snaps and almost had an interception.
It took some time for Wooden to settle in and really start making an impact. He had some strong reps, exactly what a coach would want to see from a young offensive lineman, but he also got pushed around and beaten off the line on a few plays. It was an up-and-down debut, but he showed a lot of promise that the Packers can continue to develop.
Let’s dive into the tape.
Near the end of the first half, Wooden is able to string together a nice couple of plays.
In the clip above, he does a good job of cutting and just getting in the way, causing havoc.
Here Wooden uses the push-and-pull method. He’s able to keep his head up and stay focused on the quarterback and the ball.
Above he uses his speed and power to push the offensive lineman off him and force a quarterback scramble.
Here he recognizes the screen and has the wherewithal to drop back and almost intercepts the screen pass. Hopefully, he can reel that one in next time.
From the camera angle, it looks like Wooden is lined up as a 4-tech (head up on the tackle). Wooden is able to chop the guard’s hands away and use a little bit of a swim move to get around the guard. Bengals backup QB Jake Browning got rid of that ball in about two seconds. It would have been tough for Wooden to make a play in such a short amount of time.
Here Wooden works through a double team and just keeps his legs moving. He’s able to get a hand up and try and disrupt the quarterback. Great effort from here.
Wooden had a productive debut for the Green and Gold. The rookie was active and aware. He made some nice plays that are sure to get him on the field more often. Matt LaFleur has already confirmed that he is going to be a key rotational player.
Wooden showed a lot of this at Auburn. He was more of a true edge rusher in his time there, which is evident on tape. He uses his hands well, which is stereotypical of an edge rusher.
The rookie needs to add some power and some weight if he wants to really push the pocket and be a factor in the run game. Still, he’s enough of an athlete to use speed and quickness to make plays in the trenches.
It is a transition period for him, and the pressure won’t be enormous right away. He’ll have some time to adapt and adjust to the speed and size of the NFL. Wooden just has different responsibilities and assignments when rushing as an interior player. He has a great mentor in Kenny Clark. It will take time, but the tape shows promise from the former Tiger.
Wooden will see more game action when the Packers play the New England Patriots at Lambeau Field on August 19. This was his first NFL game, and what we saw was promising. This was only one game, though. Let’s see if he can build upon it.
