There is no way the Green Bay Packers would take an off-ball linebacker with their first-round pick again, is there?
The fanbase was confused when the Packers took Quay Walker 22nd overall in 2022. Taking an off-ball linebacker when the team had more prevalent needs at other positions, like wide receiver and offensive line, didn’t make a ton of sense. The Packers had just re-signed De’Vondre Campbell after an All-Pro season, so why take Walker with the 22nd-overall pick?
I’m not knocking Walker as a player. He’s a solid young linebacker who can be a tackling machine and make an impact when he’s playing well. The issue with the Walker pick is that the Packers didn’t get good positional value in the first round.
In today’s NFL, an off-ball linebacker isn’t as important as they might have been in the past. Any off-ball linebacker’s impact is marginal compared to the importance of other positions like tackle, corner, or quarterback. You can hide an off-ball linebacker who’s not as good in your defense, but it’s much harder to hide a subpar corner or tackle.
However, the Packers are in a position where they need another linebacker at some point in this draft because Walker and Isaiah McDuffie are projected to be the starters.
There has been some smoke around the Packers and Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper. His stock has been rising, and Green Bay could take him at 25. However, that would be a mistake. The Packers cannot fall into the Walker trap again with Cooper.
Cooper could be a really good player who fits perfectly into new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s scheme. He and Walker would make a great duo as fast and skilled linebackers. However, the gap between Cooper and other linebackers in the class who will be available much later is not enough for Green Bay to justify taking another linebacker in the first round.
McDuffie filled in admirably for Campbell when he went down with injury last season. The drop-off in play was noticeable but not that significant. Teams have a way of hiding linebackers who are not spectacular.
It would be one thing if the Packers were stocked at every other position, and the only hole on the team was at inside linebacker, but it’s not. The Packers have needs in the secondary and along the offensive line that they must address.
We’ve also seen this happen outside of Green Bay. The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Devin Bush with a top-10 pick in the 2019 draft. Bush played well, but the Steelers didn’t give him a contract extension, and now he plays in Cleveland. Bush only registered over 100 tackles in one season and is now on his third team — not exactly what you hope for out of a top-10 pick.
The Washington Commanders took Kentucky’s Jamin Davis, a linebacker, with the 19th-overall pick. Davis was solid in his rookie season and recorded 104 tackles in his second year, but he stagnated after that and is just a solid player. The return on investment for inside linebackers in the first round is rarely worth it.
Green Bay would be thin at inside backer, and it would be a little risky to roll into the season with the McDuffie and Walker combination. The draft is full of linebackers who could fill the spot next to Walker. North Carolina’s Cedric Gray is an intriguing option who could be a Day 2 or 3 pick. The Packers should consider NC State’s Payton Wilson or Clemson’s Jeremiah Trotter Jr., but they shouldn’t take them at 25.
There’s a plethora of difference-makers at the corner and offensive line positions who should be available to Green Bay with pick 25. Therefore, taking a linebacker with the first pick would be organizational malpractice.
The Packers must avoid falling victim to the temptations of an off-ball linebacker in the first round again. They have other needs that are more important to the team’s success. First-round picks are crucial to building a contender, and Green Bay must maximize the value of their pick by not spending it on low-impact positions.
All stats and data via ESPN and PFF unless otherwise noted.
