Colby Wooden runs a drill during the Green Bay Packers' rookie mini camp in May.
The Green Bay Packers are making a quarterback change for the first time in 15 years.
They’ll have the youngest wide receiver group in the National Football League and could lean heavily on a pair of rookie tight ends.
After having a veteran roster the last several years, the Packers figure to be one of the league’s youngest teams this fall. And that means several jobs will be wide open when training camp begins on July 26.
Forbes is examining several of the positional battles that await. Today we look at the defensive line.
Two things seem certain with Green Bay’s defensive line.
Kenny Clark, one of the NFL’s elite defensive linemen, will play a boatload of snaps once again. Clark has played 78.1% and 72.5% of the snaps the last two seasons, and that number could rise with the Packers fielding an inexperienced group.
No. 2, second-year man Devonte Wyatt will be given every chance to prove he was worth a first round pick in 2022.
After that, it’s a free for all.
Slaton played 32.2% of the snaps last season and flashed with 23 tackles, two quarterback hits and a sack. But Slaton (6-4, 330) is strictly a nose tackle, which is also Clark’s best spot. And if Slaton is on the field when the Packers are in their base 3-4, Clark will have to move outside to 3-technique.
That could help Green Bay beef up a run defense that ranked 26th overall last season (139.5) and 28th in yards per carry allowed (5.0). But it wouldn't do much for a pass rush that tied for 28th with just 34 sacks, less than half of what NFC champion Philadelphia posted (70.0).
“Wherever they need me to fit I’m fitting in at and I’m comfortable with that,” Clark said. “I feel like I can play everywhere, regardless, the 5, the 3, the nose. When it comes game time, I think I’m going to be all over the field. So, it’s going to be cool for us. I like it.”
Rookies Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks will be given every chance to break into the rotation — and even win starting jobs.
Wooden (6-4, 273), a fourth round draft pick, was a highly productive, three-year starter at Auburn. In that time, Wooden posted 15 sacks and 29.5 tackles for losses. Then he ran the 40-yard dash in a blazing 4.79 seconds this offseason.
“I just love football. I truly love football,” Wooden said earlier this offseason. “If you love football, it’ll love you back. I wholeheartedly believe that. I know nothing’s going to be given to me. I know I have to work for everything. This is no different than college. Coming in, I had to work to get on the field. Now, I’ve got to work to get on the field and show that I can be here with the guys.
“That’s where I’m really interested in learning and learning and learning. When I’m watching them, ‘How do you do that? OK. Where are your hands at?’ I want to be a veteran. I want to be where they’re at. You’ve got to learn to get to where they’re at.”
Brooks (6-3 ½, 296), a sixth round draft pick from Bowling Green, was a game-wrecker in the Mid-American Conference, compiling 10 sacks and 18 tackles for losses in 2022. He also had four passes deflected and forced two fumbles last season.
During Brooks’ five-year career at Bowling Green, he notched 27.5 sacks, 46 tackles for loss and forced six fumbles. He also led the team in sacks all five years.
“When you see players from non-Power 5 or FCS schools, you want to see them dominate,” Milt Hendrickson, Green Bay’s Director of Football Operations, said on draft weekend. “And you can put in the tape and see that kid dominate in stretches.”
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst believes both rookies can make immediate contributions.
“Both those guys have extensive skill set to rush the passer, production to rush the passer,” Gutekunst said. “So again, we’ve talked about versatility up here with those guys. I think they’re able to go up and down the line of scrimmage and rush the passer, and I think that was another kind of goal for us.”
Wooden played countless big games in the SEC. He has a unique skill set, a terrific work ethic and was viewed as a steal when he fell to Round 4.
Wooden can be bullied in the run game, as he struggles to anchor. And the Packers certainly can’t afford to have their shoddy run defense go backwards.
But Wooden has an outstanding first step, can attack gaps and get after quarterbacks. And after Green Bay’s paltry sack totals in 2022, the Packers need a boost in that area.
While Slaton and Brooks will receive their fair share of snaps, the guess here is Wooden wins a starting job in training camp and becomes a key cog immediately.