1 player at each Packers position group to watch against 49ers
By Paul Bretl
Green Bay Packers IDL: Devonte Wyatt
It was a quiet start to training camp for the Packers’ first-round pick, and in what is a deep interior defensive line group, Wyatt has been the fifth option. He will be fighting for playing time for the remainder of this summer.
Wyatt was one of the standout players during Family Night, where he won with a spin move, power, as well as speed. During his final year at Georgia, Wyatt was one of the most efficient run defenders in the country, according to PFF ($$), and with that athleticism of his, he has the ability to pressure the quarterback as well.
Green Bay Packers Edge Rusher: Jonathan Garvin
With playing time up for grabs at this position, Jonathan Garvin entered training camp with the most experience–outside of Preston Smith and Rashan Gary, of course. However, he would miss the very first practice with an injury, and we didn’t hear much about him after that.
But as of late, Garvin has been able to get after the quarterback in practice and has seen more steady reps with the second team defense and even some with the ones. I would consider La’Darius Hamilton the front-runner for the third edge rusher role, but there is still a lot to be determined, and Garvin is ascending.
Green Bay Packers Linebacker: Quay Walker or Isaiah McDuffie
I’m not sure how much of Quay Walker we will see–if any. Last year, Eric Stokes saw very little preseason action. But if Walker is on the field, all eyes should be on him. Whether against the run or the pass, Walker has absolutely flown around the football field in practice. With him lined up next to De’Vondre Campbell, this defense has an element that it just hasn’t had in years past.
If Walker doesn’t play, my attention at the linebacker position will be on Isaiah McDuffie. Now in his second NFL season and second with Joe Barry, McDuffie appears to be much more comfortable with the system and is playing much faster than a year ago, as Wes Hodkiewicz would note. McDuffie is also going to be a core special teams player under Rich Bisaccia.