10 Days Until Training Camp: Packers Defensive Line Preview

Pro Bowler Kenny Clark might have gotten some big-time help with the addition of first-round pick Devonte Wyatt and veteran Jarran Reed.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Jul 17, 2022 8:56 PM EDT

In this story:

Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – For the last several years, Kenny Clark was a one-man wrecking ball for the Green Bay Packers’ defensive line. Dean Lowry and others made a play here and there but, by and large, it was up to Clark to bring the thunder. That might have changed during an eventful offseason. With the first practice of training camp set for July 27, here is a preview of the defensive line.

Packers Defensive Line Depth Chart

Kenny Clark earned Pro Bowl honors in 2019, when he had career highs of six sacks and nine tackles for losses, and again in 2021, when he had four sacks and a career-high 13 quarterback hits. Clark is one of the best three-down defensive tackles in the NFL. Clark, Henry Jordan and Dave “Hog” Hanner are the only defensive tackles in franchise history with multiple Pro Bowl selections. Drafted in 2016, he’s still only 26.

Dean Lowry started every game for a third consecutive season. Along with his 42 tackles, he set a career high with five sacks. After a combined three sacks, six quarterback hits and four tackles for losses in 32 games in 2019 and 2020, Lowry had the five sacks, nine quarterback hits and five tackles for losses in 2021.

Jarran Reed was signed in free agency with part of the money saved by trading Davante Adams. A second-round pick in 2016, the 29-year-old has had only two really good seasons with his 10.5 sacks in 2018 and 6.5 sacks in 2020. That’s 17 of his 24.5 sacks. He’s as durable as granite. Other than a six-game suspension in 2019, Reed has played all but two games in his career. After playing 70-plus percent of the snaps in 2018, 2019 and 2020, Reed played “only” 64 percent last season.

TJ Slaton was a fifth-round pick last year. Blessed with outstanding athleticism for his size, Slaton played 255 snaps as a rookie. Almost half of those came during the final four games. He finished with 23 tackles, one sack and two quarterback hits. The run defense was 0.71 yards better when he was on the field – the biggest difference among any defender getting regular playing time.

Devonte Wyatt was selected with the second of Green Bay’s first-round draft picks. He started all 24 games during his final two seasons at Georgia. He was a key part of the national championship defense with 2.5 sacks, seven tackles for losses and two forced fumbles. The stats aren’t great but he was highly effective and he has top-notch athleticism.

Jack Heflin was a great story, going from college walk-on at Northern Illinois to undrafted free agent with the Packers to making the 53-man roster. That’s about where his story ended, though. He played just 17 snaps and, by season’s end, had fallen behind practice-squad player Abdullah Anderson.

Jonathan Ford was selected in the seventh round and, at 338 pounds, he’s the heaviest player on the defensive side of the ball. So, if he were a Ford, he’d be an F-350 and not a Fusion. With Miami, Ford played in 50 games with 30 starts over five seasons. Coming back in 2021 for the bonus COVID year, Ford played in 10 games (eight starts) and had one tackle for loss among his 14 stops.

Chris Slayton was signed off waivers from the 49ers in May. A seventh-round draft by the Giants in 2019, he has not played in a regular-season game. He’s served stints on practice squads with the Giants, Bills, Falcons, Steelers and 49ers. At Syracuse, he piled up an impressive 32.5 tackles for losses.

Akial Byers is an undrafted free agent out of Missouri. In 52 career games, he registered two sacks and nine TFLs. He started 10 times as a fifth-year senior in 2021. He was an All-American at Fayetteville (Ark.) High School. His 5.69 in the 40 at pro day doomed his draft chances.

Hauati Pututau, an undrafted rookie, is 26 years old – same as Kenny Clark, who is entering his seventh season. During his final season at Utah, he started eight games and recorded three sacks. He is faster and stronger than Byers but missed most of the offseason with an undisclosed injury.

Leader of the Pack

Who else but Kenny Clark? Clark is one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL because of his ability to stop the run on first down and sack the quarterback on third down. There aren’t many big guys like him in the NFL. Nobody can match Aaron Donald but Clark is right in that next group of defensive linemen. That he’s only 26 is pretty remarkable. That he might have some additional help this season could really lift his game to new heights.

Rising Star

The Packers didn’t need Devonte Wyatt with the second of their first-round picks but why not? He was a standout at Georgia, ranking 12th in the draft class in ProFootballFocus.com’s pass-rushing productivity while running a D-line-best 4.77 in the 40. “The speed and explosiveness, I think he’s such a disruptor on the line of scrimmage,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said. “He’s a dynamic pass rusher. His ability to scrape and get to the ball in the run game is almost linebacker-like. We didn’t expect him to be there sitting at 28.” Of course, Wyatt has a lot to prove before becoming a star but he's got youth and talent on his side.

The Training Camp Battle

Everything is up for grabs after Kenny Clark. Dean Lowry (pictured) has started all 49 games the past three seasons, but will he keep that spot after the Packers used a first-round pick on Devonte Wyatt and signed veteran Jarran Reed in free agency? Just like that, defensive line went from one of the weaker position groups on the team to one of the best. Clark, Lowry, Reed, first-round pick Wyatt, seventh-round pick Jonathan Ford, and second-year players TJ Slaton and Jack Heflin give the Packers a formidable seven-man group from which five or maybe six will make the 53.

The Big Question

How quickly can Devonte Wyatt be a factor on the defense? Just because Wyatt was a standout at Georgia and just because he aced the Scouting Combine doesn’t mean he’s going to come in and immediately treat the Chicago Bears like the Vanderbilt Commodores. Dean Lowry and Jarran Reed are solid veterans and 2021 fifth-rounder TJ Slaton seems poised to take a significant step forward in Year 2. The depth here is really good, and Wyatt won’t get snaps until he’s ready. But it’s the explosive Wyatt who has the real upside to help lift this defense to new heights.

Best-Case Scenario

Kenny Clark’s career reaches a new level thanks to the sudden impacts provided by veteran Jarran Reed and first-round pick Devonte Wyatt. Clark is a two-time Pro Bowler despite not having a big-time sidekick playing next to him. Reed has delivered two impactful seasons in his career and Wyatt has rare athleticism for his size. Imagine Clark’s output if he wasn’t facing a double-team block on most big downs. Rather than being a focal point for opposing offensive coordinators, Clark might be the best player on the team’s best unit.

Worst-Case Scenario

In starting all 17 games last season for the Chiefs, Jarran Reed (pictured) collected 2.5 sacks and two tackles for losses. Top pick Devonte Wyatt, for all his athleticism, contributed merely 2.5 sacks and nine tackles for losses while starting 24 games during his final two seasons at Georgia. Dean Lowry’s track record is set in stone and TJ Slaton hasn’t proven anything. So, it’s possible this new defensive line might not be improved.

One Superb Stat

How fast is Devonte Wyatt? Over the last decade of Scouting Combines, only three players tipping the scales at more than 300 pounds ran a faster 40 than Wyatt’s 4.77. Two are stud offensive tackles Terron Armstead of the Saints (4.71) and Lane Johnson of the Eagles (4.72), and the other is defensive tackle Khalil Davis of the Buccaneers (4.77). Of course, a 40-yard time can be an overrated part of the equation. Over those last 10 Combines, a total of 13 defensive lineman weighing 300-plus pounds ran 4.90 or faster. Only the Jets’ Quinnen Williams has been a quality starter. Green Bay drafted one of the 13, Montravius Adams, with a third-round pick in 2017 and he was a bust.