Green Bay Packers Address Area of Need, Select ILB Kamal Martin
The Green Bay Packers added some much-needed depth at inside linebacker in the 2020 NFL Draft by selecting Minnesota’s Kamal Martin.
The Green Bay Packers used their first selection on Day 3 of the 2020 NFL Draft to address an area of need by picking inside linebacker Kamal Martin out of Minnesota.
The Packers allowed last year’s starter, Blake Martinez, to walk in free agency. There were many questions about Martinez’s physical abilities that led to him constantly playing on his side of the line of scrimmage. In his place, Green Bay brought in the oft-injured Christian Kirksey who only played nine total games the last two seasons due to injuries.
They are incredibly thin behind Kirksey so Martin figures to add depth to the position. He made 66 total tackles last year with 2.5 of them coming for loss and one sack. He also added two interceptions and one pass deflection.
Martin has decent straight-line speed and is fearless when it comes to filling the hole and attempting to bring down ball-carriers. He should also be an immediate contributor on special teams.
It’s questionable whether he’ll ever turn into a player with starting potential, however. He’s slow to understand what’s going on with the offense, causing him to always be a step or two behind the action. He also struggles in coverage and isn’t able to move laterally very well.
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Martin certainly has a lot of work to do to get to a level where he can contribute on defense, but he should have time to work on his game. The good news is he’ll be able to help on special teams and battle with Oren Burks and others for the backup spot behind Kirksey.