The Green Bay Packers made a lot of noise in the 2025 NFL Draft in April as they took a wide receiver (Matthew Golden) in the first round for the first time since 2002 (Javon Walker). Green Bay fans were stoked to see the team grab Golden, and then take another wide receiver in the third round in Savion Williams.
Those two rookies could be an instant playmaker in a Packers’ offense that hopes to take that next step in 2025.
While the attention was on the Packers' rookie wide receivers, Green Bay also made an addition to the defensive line in the draft that is worth paying attention to as well.
Packers 4th-Rounder Barryn Sorrell Going Under the Radar After OTAs
For a team like the Packers, which didn’t go out and address the line in free agency, they took the draft route. In the fourth round, the Packers took former Texas Longhorns EDGE Barryn Sorrell.
The 22-year-old Sorrell is coming off a solid four-year career at Texas, where he posted 132 combined tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 15.5 sacks, two pass deflections, and a forced fumble. Last year with the Longhorns, the 6-foot-3, 256-pound defender racked up 44 combined tackles, 11 tackles for loss, six sacks, and a pass deflection in 16 games.
Sorrell isn’t an explosive athlete and doesn’t have that one great special skill. However, if you are the Packers, you’ll take a defensive lineman who can zone drop, has good pursuit skills, and can follow the ball.
Despite not having speed, the former Longhorn defender can with power at the point of attack, while also knowing how to work around blocks to get into the backfield. If you can’t get a sack, the next best thing to do is apply pressure and wreak havoc.
Looking at the Packers’ depth chart this upcoming season, Sorrell has a chance to get on the field immediately, despite the backup talent at the defensive end spot. Kingsley Enagbare had a good 2024 season and hopefully can duplicate his performance in 2025.
Green Bay hopes the same thing for Brenton Cox Jr., who flashed late last season off the edge. The biggest question mark is what does former first-round pick Lukas Van Ness do after a quiet first two years in the NFL?
Can Van Ness finally emerge as a starting-caliber defensive lineman heading into Year 3? Or will Sorrell become that surprise x-factor this season? It should be interesting to see how Green Bay’s defensive end situation plays out, as they are banking on their in-house guys to make plays.