Best- and Worst-Case Scenarios for Ty’Ron Hopper’s Rookie Season

Linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper, a third-round selection in this year’s draft, has the potential to be a versatile defender and reliable contributor on special teams.

Green Bay Packers linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper (59) warms up during rookie minicamp on Friday, May 3, / Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin /

Ty'Ron Hopper's career with the Green Bay Packers began by surprise. Not many expected Green Bay to select the Missouri linebacker in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 46 picks after selecting Texas A&M's Edgerrin Cooper.

Green Bay hopes Hopper will continue to surprise the fanbase with his play. With his athletic ability and diverse experience, the 6-foot-2, 228-pound linebacker could turn into an exciting piece of coordinator Jeff Hafley's defense.

The ceiling for Hopper's career is high. But the floor is low. For each thing that Hopper did great at in college, there's one red flag. The Packers won't be rattled if Hopper doesn't pan out but, if he did, the defense would be much more dynamic. Here are the best- and worst-case scenarios for Hopper's rookie season.

The Best Case for Ty'Ron Hopper

Becomes key run defender and blitzer with rangy movement.

Hopper only ran a 4.68 40-yard dash at Missouri's pro day, but his speed is evident on film when he's moving from sideline to sideline. Hopper won't go step for step with a running back down the field in pass coverage, but give him an outside run and he can track down the runner almost instantly.

Although his play recognition wasn't great in college, sometimes overstepping a run, he often seems to have an ability to predict the running back's path.

With some time with an NFL coaching staff, Hopper could improve his play recognition but his horizontal speed could be enough for him to succeed early on. If so, he could quickly carve out a role for himself as a third-down and short-distance defender, able to defend the run, blitz the quarterback and drop back in coverage when needed.

Hopper was the quarterback for the Missouri defense in 2022 and 2023 after transferring from Florida. He won't be asked to handle that role in Green Bay. With Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper in the mix, Hopper will have less on his plate and be able to focus solely on what he excels at.

Worst Case for Ty'Ron Hopper

Mistake-prone on defense, begins playing exclusively special teams.

The obvious red flag for Hopper as a prospect is his struggles with tackling. He missed 33 tackles over the last two seasons. His overpursuit on plays is mostly to blame for the high tally.

If Hopper is unable to fix this issue, he'll quickly see less and less time on the field. Again, he is not an essential piece to the future of the Green Bay defense as fellow rookies Cooper and safety Javon Bullard. But with Isaiah McDuffie, Eric Wilson and Kristian Welch set to be free agents next offseason, there is a long-term void at the position.

In the film room and on the practice field, he'll need to learn how to harness his speed. A racecar driver only succeeds if he knows how to take controlled turns, not just by hitting full acceleration at all times.

Hopper's tackling issues shouldn't translate to special teams. His lack of gap recognition shouldn't create as many problems to the punt and kick teams. However, he'll have to remain valuable on defense to prevent his career in Green Bay being nothing more than a special-teamer.

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