Green Bay Packers: 3 Early Round Defensive Line Prospects

Justin Madubuike – Texas A&M

Justin Madubuike has been projected many places up and down the board. Most often, he is viewed as an early second-round pick, but the draft is unpredictable and the Green Bay Packers could reach for him in round one or see if he falls all the way to their second pick at 62.

Madubuike has good size and physical tools that could help him be a top-tier run-stuffer in the NFL. At 6’3″ 304 pounds, he can hold his gap against almost any professional offensive lineman. This ability to hold his gap and not get washed out is his most valuable trait. He rarely gets bullied off the line and makes life a lot easier for the linebackers behind him. He also handles double teams very well and loses little to no ground.

He shows some great bursts and the ability to blow up plays with 21 tackles for loss between his last two seasons. This shows itself most evidently on short-yardage plays, especially on the goal line. These are the times that he flips the switch and brings his 100 percent effort to shoot a gap and make a tackle in the backfield. If he had this effort on every play, he’d almost definitely be a first-round pick. Unfortunately, he has a tendency to have a low motor.

When the game is not on the line, his first step is much slower. When he loses his edge like this, he disappears into the fold for drives at a time in the middle of the game. In these situations, his size and power are still enough to keep him from getting blown back in the run game, but his pass rush severely suffers.

Often he is content to engage a blocker in the pass game and make a half effort to bull rush him into the quarterback. He has shown a swim move once in a while which got him 5.5 sacks in each of the past two seasons but does not have enough pash rushing prowess to be a three-down player. His deficiency in this area combined with his lack of effort at times and lack of willingness to chase plays from the backside are the reasons why he is a second-round talent.

If he can consistently use his tools to shoot gaps, blow up plays, and build anything resembling a pass-rushing repertoire, then he could be a top defensive lineman. He has a great ceiling, but is currently a two-down run stopper who has lapses that can last longer than most would like.