Green Bay Packers: Linebackers Best and Worst Case Scenarios

Rookies

The Green Bay Packers have two rookie linebackers in camp this year, fifth-round pick Kamal Martin from Minnesota and undrafted free agent Krys Barnes out of UCLA.

Kamal Martin

There’s a lot to like about Kamal Martin, and he has a lot in common with Christian Kirksey, who the Packers signed this offseason. They are both explosive linebackers who can work in space who have injury concerns that made their value drop. Had Martin gotten to play his full senior season and not had to miss the combine, he may have been a day two pick, but instead, he fell to the Packers in the fifth round, and they decided to roll the dice, hoping he comes back healthy and ready to play.

With the rolling of the dice, there comes a big variation in his best and worst-case scenarios. His absolute worst case would be reinjuring the knee and having to sit out for an extended period of time or even the whole season. That would be catastrophic for him, but another adverse outcome would be coming back and not having the same burst he did in college. If he can’t shoot gaps and doesn’t have the speed to cover running backs, he loses value.

Of course, there’s also the possibility that he comes back just as strong or stronger than before, as athletes sometimes do. In this case, he could be a valuable young asset that could see some meaningful field time, especially against run-heavy offenses.

Best Case Stats: 50 total tackles, 6 TFLs, 2 sacks, 2 INTs, 4 passes defended

Worst Case Stats: 15 total tackles, 1 TFL, 0 sacks, 0 INTs, 1 pass defended

Krys Barnes

Barnes had a couple of really productive years in his junior and senior seasons at UCLA. He showed the ability to do a lot of things. He got in opponents backfields with 19.5 tackles for loss in those seasons; he played coverage making 13 passes defended with two interceptions and finished second on his team in total tackles. He also was clutch against their rival USC, breaking up a pass while covering the slot receiver on fourth down with thirty seconds left, effectively clinching the win for his team.

As an undrafted rookie, Barnes has an uphill battle in front of him to make the roster. Martin will probably make the team because teams usually don’t give up on draft picks after just training camp unless they’re sixth or seventh rounders, and even then, it’s not super common.

Everyone else has at least some experience in the NFL, though. Curtis Bolton’s is just in the preseason as he tore his ACL before the regular season. Even with all of this, Barnes still has a real shot at this roster. With the exception of Kirksey, no one is really a proven talent, and the backup spots are wide open.

If Barnes can put together an impressive camp, he’ll be on this team. If not, he’ll be on the practice squad. Best and worst-case stats are assuming he makes the team and doesn’t get injured, and that goes for everyone else as well. Also, Barnes could get some tackles on special teams if he makes the roster.

Best Case Stats: 30 total tackles, 3 TFLs, 1 sack, 4 PDs

Worst Case Stats: 7 total tackles, 0 TFLs, 0 sacks, 1 PD