The Green Bay Packers need more from their defensive line. Plain and simple. And that especially includes former first-rounder Devonte Wyatt, who’s skating on thin ice heading into a pivotal year.
Wyatt is part of a crowded fraternity of first-round investments up front: Kenny Clark, Rashan Gary, and Lukas Van Ness round out the high-profile group. Between the 2016, 2019, 2022, and 2023 drafts, Green Bay has poured premium resources into the trenches.
And yet, the returns have been inconsistent at best.
On paper, the Packers' pass rush looked decent in 2024. They ranked eighth in total sacks, 14th in pressures, and 11th in hurries. But those numbers are a bit like empty calories — they filled the stat sheet without providing real nourishment when it mattered most.
Nearly 60 percent of their sacks came in just four games, feasting on cupcakes like the Titans, Seahawks, Dolphins, and Texans. But when they faced playoff-caliber opponents — the Eagles, Lions, and Vikings, for example — their pass rush vanished like a magician’s assistant. In 11 different games, the defense mustered two or fewer sacks.
Wyatt was supposed to be part of the solution, not part of the disappearing act.
Entering his third season after being selected 28th overall in 2022, Wyatt was projected to take on a larger role under Jeff Hafley's new 4-3 scheme. Instead, he was outplayed by TJ Slaton in training camp and relegated to a rotational role.
And when he did see the field, he barely made a ripple.
Of his five sacks, four came against teams picking in the top 10 of the next draft. The lone sack against a winning team felt more like an accident than a breakthrough. He wasn’t even consistently getting close — Wyatt registered just nine quarterback hits all season, and only one of them came against a playoff-bound opponent.
Slaton is now gone, but the path to redemption for Wyatt is anything but clear. Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks remain in the mix as rotational pieces, and while neither has locked down a starting job, both flashed enough to muddy the waters further.
Which brings us to the NFL Draft.
General manager Brian Gutekunst won’t say it out loud, but he knows the defensive line needs an injection of life. This year’s class is rich with interior talent, and even if the Packers opt to spend their first-round pick elsewhere, they’ll have plenty of chances on Day 2 or early Day 3 to grab a disruptor who can turn up the heat.
If that happens, Wyatt could find himself on the hot seat — or worse, the bench. Whoever they bring in will get every chance to compete for a starting job.
There won’t be any red carpet rolled out for Wyatt. No more benefit of the doubt. Just a summer of competition and a message loud and clear: shape up or ship out.
The clock is ticking, and Wyatt’s grip on his role may be slipping. In a defense desperate to rise from mediocrity, the Packers can’t afford to let another season slip through the cracks because of underperformance in the trenches. This draft could be Wyatt’s final wake-up call.