Green Bay Packers: 3 young players to watch v. Texans

The Green Bay Packers have their first preseason game against the Houston Texans on Thursday, and these are three young players to keep your eyes on.

The first preseason game for the Green Bay Packers is just about upon us and with a new offensive system and a number of new faces on defense, there will be plenty for us to keep our eyes on.

Preseason football is a time where young players can carve out their role on the team for the regular season or they may play themselves on to the 53-man roster as a surprise addition.

While we likely won’t see many, if any of the starters during this first game, these are three young players who not everyone may be familiar with but have had a great start to Training Camp and could end up playing significant snaps for the Green Bay Packers this upcoming season.

Of course, there are a number of others worthy of being on this list but these are the three young guns that I will have my eyes on come Thursday night.

Ka’dar Hollman

Cornerback Ka’dar Hollman who was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round could end up being the biggest surprise from this year’s draft.

The fiery, in your face corner with 4.37 speed and a 38″ vertical brings excellent athleticism to the position and so far through OTAs and Training Camp has caught the eyes of Mike Pettine and Matt LaFleur with his ability in press coverage.

Hollman is consistently winning his one-on-one battles against receivers and it’s not the bottom of the roster that he’s competing against. With injuries to Kevin King and Josh Jackson, Hollman has been running with the ones and twos and is still winning his matchups.

His ability in man coverage makes him an ideal fit for Pettine’s system as man coverage is a cornerstone of his defense. Truthfully, Hollman is a better fit schematically than Jackson who thrives in zone coverage and had a steep learning curve when it came to covering one-on-one last season.

That coupled with potential injuries that could occur and we may see Hollman playing plenty of snaps this season for the Green Bay Packers.

Elgton Jenkins

As far as starters go, the Packers offensive line seems pretty set with David Bakhtiari, Corey Linsley, Billy Turner, and Bryan Bulaga. And while I do expect Lane Taylor to be the starting left guard come week one against Chicago, we all need to keep our eyes on rookie Elgton Jenkins.

Like just about every Brian Gutekunst draft pick, Jenkins is extremely athletic. His quick feet and ability to move in space make him an ideal fit for LaFleur’s zone running scheme – which is a style that may not be as well suited for Taylor.

Jenkins is also very good in pass protection. I was at the second day of joint practices with the Houston Texans and when watching Jenkins in one-on-one drills against the Texans defensive line, the pass-rusher tried to run right through Jenkins but he wouldn’t budge. And the results were two consecutive pancake blocks from Jenkins.

He is incredibly strong and with a wide base, Jenkins is very difficult to move as referenced above. During his time at Mississippi State, Jenkins would allow only three sacks in his four years there.

Through Training Camp, Jenkins has already been taking reps with the first team at left guard and whether he overtakes Lane Taylor or it’s because of injury, we will likely see Jenkins this season.

Darrius Shepherd

While Jake Kumerow and Trevor Davis created some space between themselves and the receivers behind them after their Family Night performances, there are still four preseason games and a number of practices left for a player like Darrius Shepherd to make some more noise.

The undrafted rookie out of North Dakota State (NDSU) has had a very nice start to Camp for the Green Bay Packers and is a dark horse to make the final 53-man roster. At NDSU, Shepherd was known for his big-play ability and he could be an asset for this Packers team both in the slot and as a return man.

The slot receiver plays an important role in LaFleur’s offense and as of now, Trevor Davis is the only viable return option that they have. So with Shepherd showing his value in each of those areas, it does give him a path to making the final roster.

In practice, Shepherd has gone up against Green Bay’s top corners and has won, including beating Jaire Alexander in a red zone drill. Shepherd was able to create significant space on an in-breaking route and caught an uncontested catch for the touchdown.

With Trevor Davis missing Tuesday’s practice with an injury, it is unknown if he will play in Thursday’s game which could mean more snaps for Shepherd and an opportunity to make up some ground.