Green Bay Packers: Rookie Performance Grades
By Kenny Jilek
Middle Round Picks
5th Round Pick – ILB Kamal Martin
This entire article is mostly just a lesson in how bad the injury bug has bitten this rookie class. Martin didn’t hit the field until week seven due to an injury, but he’s been a bright spot in the middle of this defense. While his youth and inexperience sometimes cause him to be out of position, he plays fast and with a lot of power.
His downhill physical play is great at the point of attack, and he already has two tackles for loss in limited action. He’s also earned a 72.8 grade from Pro Football Focus, much better than Christian Kirksey’s 36.7 or Krys Barnes’ 41.8. Martin dropped to the fifth round because of injury concerns, and those were warranted concerns considering all his missed time this year, but he’s shown he’s explosive enough to be one of the steals of this draft.
Overall Grade: B+
6th Round Pick – G Jon Runyan Jr.
Speaking of steals of this draft, the Green Bay Packers may have found another gem at the back end with Jon Runyan Jr. Six different times this season, Runyan has come into the game due to injury, and there has been little to no letdown every time. The past two weeks, he’s played fifty snaps each, and Green Bay’s offense has continued to score with him on the field. In fact, in every game he’s played, the Packers have scored at least 31 points.
Of course, that’s not all due to him, but it shows that he’s not a liability on the line. With David Bakhtiari locked up for the next four seasons, the only spot on the line under question for next year is whether Corey Linsley will be re-signed. Runyan playing so well in his absence gives the Packers flexibility and at the very least some leverage in negotiations, knowing that they have a serviceable player to fill the guard spot if Elgton Jenkins slides to center to replace Linsley.
Overall Grade: B