Green Bay Packers draft needs: Nose tackle

With the 2015 NFL Draft lurking just over a month away in Chicago, the Green Bay Packers have remained quiet in free agency and have yet to sign a player away from another team. With the offensive core solidified by the return of Randall Cobb and Bryan Bulaga on team-friendly contracts, Ted Thompson will now turn his attention to a defensive unit that needs strengthening through the heart of it’s front seven.

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The nose tackle position is the still spot that a quality 3-4 defensive scheme can orbit around, so addressing this hole should be of the utmost importance to the Green Bay Packers. According to Bill Huber of the Packer Report, the Packers are “working on a deal” with nose tackle B.J. Raji that would keep him in Green Bay. Raji’s return would be an intelligent move with the potential to bring a larger return on a smaller investment, but it may only be one part of the solution.

Raji will be 29 years old when the season kicks off, and is coming off a torn right biceps injury that cost him all of his 2014 season. He had finally been moved back inside to his traditional nose position in last year’s training camp and was one of the top performers through camp until he was hurt.

Letroy Guion, who filled in admirably for Raji in 2014, could still return following the resolution of some legal matters, as well. Regardless, I believe that this position needs an infusion of youth with a true nose tackle prospect, not just a defensive lineman that is being slid inside.

Looking ahead to the 2015 Draft class and the players capable of manning the nose in a 3-4 scheme, several prospects appear likely to leave the board before the Packers pick at 30. Danny Shelton, Malcolm Brown and Eddie Goldman should be gone by then, but perhaps a prospect like Oklahoma’s Jordan Phillips could match up with Green Bay towards the bottom of the first round.

Sep 6, 2014; Tulsa, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners defensive tackle Jordan Phillips (80) causes and recovers a fumble in front of Tulsa Golden Hurricane quarterback Dane Evans (9) during the first half at Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Standing at 6’5″, 329 pounds, Phillips brings an athletic looking frame with room for further growth, and quickness along the line that one wouldn’t expect from his a player of his size. If Phillips learned to lower his pad level and exercise his leverage, his powerful legs could develop a strong bull rush, but he has shown a tendency to get stood up while engaged. A back injury from 2013 will need to check off medically, as well, so a longer-term project like Phillips may appeal to the Packers less than the available inside linebacker options at 30.

Iowa’s Carl Davis could float around the border of rounds one and two, but has reportedly disappointed in a big way through team interviews. Given the likelihood that Green Bay won’t be met with a “can’t miss” round one option at nose tackle, I believe the Packers can afford to wait.

Given that Raji signed a one year, $4 million contract prior to last season, I expect any coming deal to sit around one year and $3 million. If he outplays this, he could demand a richer contract than the Packers are not comfortable giving to a player turning 30. If Raji disappoints again, Green Bay needs options. In either scenario, adding a mid-to-late round nose tackle prospect could hold great value.

Looking down the board, Auburn’s Gabe Wright, Northern Iowa’s Xavier Williams and Stanford’s David Parry could all be had in the middle rounds. Houston’s Joey Mbu has the ability to hold the nose tackle position, along with the big-bodied Ellis McCarthy of UCLA. A dark-horse candidate that I’ll be watching personally is Terry Williams, the 6’1, 353 pound bowling ball from East Carolina who could slide into the late rounds.

Raji is by no means injury prone, but it’s imperative that the Packers give themselves options, both in 2015 and beyond. Adding a true nose tackle prospect to the depth chart would ideally allow for the young player to focus on building strength and developing through a rookie season in which little would be required of them. For a position as important as the nose, Green Bay cannot afford to float their hope on one name.

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