Packers: 3 breakout candidates due for big 2021 season
The Green Bay Packers were unable to add any veterans to their team due to their salary cap situation this offseason. Instead, they’ll be relying on a few key guys to take that next step forward and come ready to play in a major way in 2021.
Sure, there could be some expected contributions from what appears to be a strong rookie class. However, there’s usually a huge learning curve when you first enter the NFL, and guys who have been around for at least a season are much more likely to make more consistent and positive contributions.
The good news is Green Bay has a number of talented players under 25-years-old who should improve over the offseason. With more than a few acceptable candidates, here are three players set for a MONSTER 2021 campaign.
These three members of the Green Bay Packers could be in for a HUGE 2021 season based on the flashes they showed last year.
Packers’ breakout candidate 3. Kamal Martin
Drafted in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Kamal Martin ended up starting six games at inside linebacker for the Packers last year. He projects to compete with 2020 undrafted free agent Krys Barnes for the starting job this summer–one of the most important positional battles to watch.
Barnes is more a more steady and disciplined player of the two. He understands his role and is a much smarter player when it comes to taking angles and practicing patience. However, Martin’s ceiling is clearly higher, as he has the physical tools to become the better player. Martin flies around the field–for better or worse–and has no issue sprinting through holes to bring down ball carriers. The issue is he often does so with reckless abandon and ends up taking himself completely out of the play as a result. He needs to find a way to play with the same energy and effort while eliminating those mental miscues.
Martin’s health will also play a key role. He struggled with injuries in college and that reared its ugly head in his rookie season as well. Martin graded out at 68.5 according to PFF, but didn’t play enough snaps to qualify among the inside linebackers–he would’ve ranked as the 13th-best inside linebacker if he had qualified. Martin has all the tools necessary to become a top 10 inside linebacker in the NFL. He just needs to put them together.