Green Bay Packers: 3 Mid-to-Late Round D-Line Prospects
By Kenny Jilek
Josiah Coatney – Ole Miss
In terms of playstyle, Josiah Coatney is about the exact opposite of Davon Hamilton. Where Hamilton is slow off the line, but eventually powers through the play, Coatney is quick off the ball but lacks the power to hold his ground if he doesn’t get into the backfield.
I believe that Coatney’s first punch is elite and might be the best initial punch in this draft class. His explosion on the snap and ability to get into the backfield is phenomenal which is interesting because his explosion measures at the combine like vertical jump, broad jump, three-cone drill, and 20-yard shuttle all tested in the bottom six of all defensive lineman in the class and his broad jump was the worst.
He is smaller than Hamilton at 6’4″ 309 pounds and this allowed the coaching staff at Ole Miss to use him in a versatile role. He played everywhere on the defensive line including nose tackle, defensive end, and on the edge. We all saw how much the Green Bay Packers and defensive coordinator Mike Pettine like versatility and moved Za’Darius Smith all around the line last season. Obviously, Coatney is not the same caliber of player Smith is, but being able to mix and match is very valuable.
Being a later round pick, he has some deficiencies that will keep him out of early rounds. The first is his lack of strength after the initial punch. He often starts strong and by the time the play is over he’s been driven 3-5 yards off the line of scrimmage. His other issue is struggling to be able to win “in a phone booth”. He often tries to bend too far around the offensive lineman and use his speed which can open up huge holes. Guys will also use this against him and just bury him while he’s trying to bend around him.
As a prospect, the combine did not help Coatney, and Gutekunst, along with the entire Green Bay Packers’ front office, tends to like guys with big explosiveness and athleticism. Even though the combine didn’t show it, I believe that his tape shows great explosiveness. With his draft stock dropping, this could be a great value pick in a late-round.