Versatility was a common theme among most of the Green Bay Packers draft picks this year. The Packers tied the record for the number of players selected in the seven-round era with 13, and athleticism and versatility were the most common traits among all of their picks.
The Packers have taken players with multi-position versatility before. In 2018, Oren Burks who was supposed to be a hybrid linebacker and safety. They landed two-time Pro Bowler Elgton Jenkins in 2019. A year later, the Packers took a trio of versatile offensive linemen, including Jon Runyan. In 2021 and 2022, it was Royce Newman and Zach Tom.
Versatility has served the Packers well. Jenkins and Tom have started games at a variety of positions. There were even theories the Packers could move Jenkins to tackle full-time.
Green Bay’s run of draft-day versatility stood out this year, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The defensive lineman the Packers took doesn’t exclusively play one spot along the line. Lukas Van Ness, Colby Wooden, Karl Brooks, and seventh-round safety Anthony Johnson Jr. have positional flexibility.
Johnson will probably stick a safety in the NFL, but he was a stand-out corner during his first three years at Iowa State. This year featured a very weak safety class, and unless the Packers bring back Adrian Amos, Johnson could have a legit shot at starting in 2023.
On the offensive side of the ball, Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft are dual-threat tight ends. They have the versatility to block in the run game, but he also factors in the passing game. Both are big bodies, fast players who Matt LaFleur will mold, and project to be dual-threat monsters in the NFL. Kraft and Musgrave stand at 6’5″ and 6’6″, respectively, and both run sub-4.7 40 times.
Conversely, the three defensive linemen that the Packers took may have a different role in the pros.
Van Ness rushed all over the front for Iowa. Despite not starting in any games at Iowa due to the preference of Iowa staff to play more experienced players, his production was really good. He would line up outside the tackle in four-man fronts and rush from there. Or Van Ness would rush in a 3-tech position on the outside shoulder of the guard. He has the ability to be a chess piece for the Packers.
Colby Wooden did most of his work as a hand-in-the-dirt defensive tackle. He fits the Kingsley Keke mold of a player. Wooden is a bit of an undersized defensive tackle (6’4″, 273 lbs.) who has the speed and finesse to rush from the outside or even standing up. Wooden did all of these things at Auburn, and his ability to move around can make it difficult for opposing teams to defend against a variety of Packers looks.
Karl Brooks’s build hasn’t really existed in the NFL. He weighs over 300 lbs. and stands about 6’3” but rushes as a stand-up edge. I do not think that the Packers see Brooks as a guy who will play that style in the NFL. At his size, they’ll probably ask him to put his hand in the dirt as a 3-tech or a 5-tech and play more of a traditional defensive tackle role.
In a perfect world, the Packers probably try and run a third-down defensive line of Rashan Gary, Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, Lukas Van Ness, and Preston Smith. Let those boys pin their ears back and go. Van Ness can rush from the inside and line up as a 3-technique, similar to what the Packers staff used to do with Za’Darius Smith.
Smith would move all over the line as a rover. He would rush against guards, tackles, and even sometimes head up on the center. Van Ness has played some snaps on the interior. While I doubt they do it, the Packers could have him add some weight and slide him inside as an end in their 3-4 scheme.
The Packers took what Rashan Gary did in college and molded him into a great edge rusher. Was Gary a stand-up edge who wreaked havoc at Michigan? No. Does he make opposing teams’ defensive coordinators circle him in film and say Watch out for 52? Yes.
Van Ness and Woolen have a chance to make an impact on Day 1. There is no guarantee Gary is ready to be back for Week 1, leaving a starting edge spot available. All signs point to that spot being wide open for a guy like Van Ness. Brian Gutenkunst said that they expect Van Ness to make an impact on Day 1.
There was not a lot of pressure on Gary to play right away because of the signing of the Smith brothers. The uncertainty surrounding Gary’s health and the lack of proven talent leads me to believe that the Packers and defensive coordinator Joe Barry will let Van Ness go wild on the edge like he used to do when he was at Iowa. Brooks and Wooden definitely will need more time to adjust to the competition in the NFL and will not be able to make instant impacts.
But unlike when the Packers took versatile offensive linemen in the past, all three of the defensive linemen they took this year have the ability to move all over the defensive front. They serve as fun new chess pieces for the Packers’ defense. Look for them to do some damage this year.
