The Green Bay Packers are a few pieces away from being a truly complete team. Sure, they need to address what happens if and when Aaron Rodgers leaves. Okay, maybe they need another viable receiver. And yes, their offensive line isn’t the best it’s been. But this team knows how to win and is currently the favorite to be the NFC’s representative in the Super Bowl. When looking at their needs in conjunction with their projected draft slot, could the Packers be in line to select a linebacker in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft?
Is LB the Green Bay Packers’ biggest team need?
Though the aforementioned position groups are big areas of need, there’s still quite a bit of roster-building to be done before next April’s draft. With multiple high-profile names expected to change destinations in free agency, Green Bay would be wise to address their biggest specific needs ahead of the NFL Draft.
That leaves one need that might not be a true priority: linebacker.
The Packers’ combination of Preston Smith, De’Vondre Campbell, and Krys Barnes has proven to be serviceable — if not solid — at times. Smith will turn 30 next season, Campbell will be 29, and the need for an injection of youth in the middle of the field is apparent.
So, if the Packers were to target a linebacker, just who could that be? When could they grab said linebacker? And what would those players offer in Green Bay? Let’s hit the tape to find out about the top two options: Devin Lloyd and Nakobe Dean.
Packers first-round LB draft targets
Let’s take a closer look at Lloyd and Dean, each of whom projects to be selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Devin Lloyd, Utah
There is no better linebacker in the 2022 NFL Draft class than Lloyd. A missile of a human, Lloyd checks in at 6’3″, 235 pounds. Yet, he moves around like he’s a smaller man and hits like a much bigger individual. The reigning Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year is as experienced as they come with three full seasons of elite play.
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If Lloyd were to still be available at pick 32, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst would be wise to sprint his pick to the podium. Lloyd is so good, so generational, and so elite that it wouldn’t even be a surprise if Green Bay trades up to select Lloyd sooner.
Devin Lloyd is every bit of elite
In a world where the term “generational talent” is thrown around too freely, Lloyd is as close to that colloquial saying as any other top-ranked player in this draft class. The Utes LB has elite sideline-to-sideline ability and comes complete with elite coverage prowess. He patrols the middle of the field against the pass and the run all the same.
Lloyd diagnoses plays with speed and anticipation, routinely making stops in the backfield. He shoots the gap when he blitzes and has an arsenal of untapped pass-rush moves at his disposal. His coverage ability truly separates him from the rest of the field. But don’t just take it from me — take it from his former coach, Kyle Whittingham.
After his pick-six against Stanford, it was Whittingham who said Lloyd’s play in coverage was one of the best plays he’d ever seen on a football field. A more glowing recollection I cannot recall.
Nakobe Dean, Georgia
Making waves on Georgia’s top-ranked defense this season, Dean rose the charts like few others did in 2021. Dean is as strong as he is smart, and he’s an instinctive thumper in all facets. He clocks in a bit undersized at 6’0″, 225 pounds, but Dean more than makes up for that with his strength. Dean is also a skilled pass rusher and a terrific underneath coverage defender.
Dean is built like an ox
Routinely pushing past bigger blockers, Dean’s strength is hard to miss on the field. It’s even harder to miss off it, as viral videos of Dean squatting 500 pounds were awe-inspiring. The only thing more impressive than his pure strength is how he uses it on game day.
Dean overmatches defenders of similar size and uses his leverage against larger ball carriers or blockers. He can fight off blocks from any moving lineman, while he also possesses enough of a pass-rush arsenal to avoid most OL in the passing game. That is, of course, if he isn’t brilliantly patrolling the middle in coverage.
Like Lloyd, if Dean is available at 32, expect Gutekunst to run to the podium. Both of these linebackers are game-changers at the position. With the growing need for LBs to be able to cover all types of receivers from the slot, at tight end, or out of the backfield, finding someone with three-down ability who excels in coverage is crucial.
Fix the other positions after the Super Bowl. Wait until Lloyd or Dean are available for you in April. Prosper. It’s that simple for Green Bay.
