Packers Take LB in TDN Mock Draft–Do they Finally Invest in the Position?

Whether through the draft or via free agency, the linebacker position is not one that the Green Bay Packers have invested heavily in over the last decade-plus.

Even this past season when they had De’Vondre Campbell, an All-Pro and one of the most productive linebackers in football, they still didn’t invest much into the position–signing Campbell to a one-year deal worth $2 million. They just happen to hit the free agency lottery.

Campbell is now a free agent, and if he ends up playing elsewhere, will his level of play and what he added to the defense change how the Green Bay Packers as an organization view the linebacker position?

I know Green Bay’s Week 18 matchup with Detroit was a meaningless game, and the Packers defense was running some very vanilla looks; however, in Campbell’s absence, we saw how much this middle of the field defense missed him–Jared Goff found a lot of success between the numbers and his pass-catchers recorded a lot of YAC.

Without Campbell, the Packers are left with Krys Barnes, Ty Summers, Isaiah McDuffie, and Ray Wilborn as current on the roster options at linebacker. Regardless of whether or not Campbell is back, they’ll have to add to that position group this offseason, but as I just mentioned, would they be willing to do so with a premium draft pick?

Well, a recent mock draft from Kieth Sanchez of The Draft Network has the Green Bay Packers doing just that with the selection of Nakobe Dean from Georgia.

"“If Aaron Rodgers is gone, they are going to have to change their overall philosophy,” said Sanchez. “The Green Bay Packers are going to have to switch to a run game and defensive-minded team while they figure out if Jordan Love is the future at QB. The Packers add to their defense with Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean. Dean is an athletic, versatile defender that will help fill a hole at the linebacker position that the Packers have had for many years.”"

Standing 6’0″ and weighing 225 pounds, Dean has three years of playing experience at Georgia, including 1,141 career snaps, 937 of which have come over the last two seasons.

While still a productive player in 2020, this past season was a breakout year for Dean. He recorded 20 pressures, seven of which were sacks, according to PFF ($$). He also had 57 total tackles, 29 stops, and in coverage, he allowed a 54 percent completion rate on 26 targets and only 4.4 yards per catch. Dean also had two interceptions and two pass breakups as well.

In no way are grades the be-all-end-all, but they can be helpful in illustrating just how good — or bad — a player was. Out of all college linebackers this season, Dean was PFF’s top-graded linebacker overall, and his coverage grade was the second-best.

For a closer look at Dean’s game and what he could bring to this Green Bay Packers team, here is what Drae Harris of The Draft Network had to say in his pre-draft report.

"“He is a very good reactive athlete with regard to quickness and agility. He affects the passing game in a variety of ways. He can blitz inside and demonstrates very good closing quickness to the quarterback. He gets good depth in his zone drops while also showing the ability to cover running backs with ease. In the run game, he is very instinctive in the box.”"

That report from Harris sure sounds a lot like what Campbell added to this Packers defense last season–a true three-down linebacker who can affect the game in multiple ways. Having Campbell in the middle of this defense was certainly a breath of fresh air.

But with that said, from a purely statistical standpoint, the difference between the 2020 Green Bay Packers defense and the 2021 unit was largely the same in several key categories, including total yards per game, points per game, DVOA, yards per carry allowed, and opponent’s third-down rate, among other categories—although overall, I do think the unit was improved, with the help of Campbell, of course.

It’s also worth noting that Joe Barry’s defense is a bit more linebacker friendly than Mike Pettine’s–which perhaps is another reason why the Green Bay Packers would continue to be frugal at the position. I’m not sure how much weight either of these viewpoints actually carry within 1265 Lombardi Avenue, I’m just speculating, but for a team that has typically devalued linebacker, I do believe it’s important to mention because it could reinforce how they’ve traditionally viewed the position.

Ultimately, my hope is that Campbell is back, but if not, until I see otherwise, I’m not going to expect to see Green Bay spending a first-round pick on a linebacker–and this has nothing to do with Dean, he’s an excellent player, but for a number of years now the Packers have shown us that linebacker is not a position they are willing to invest heavily in.