Green Bay Packers: Mike Pennel is the Future at Nose Tackle

After coming to the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2014, Mike Pennel could single-handedly take over the nose tackle position next season.

A mountain of a man in the face of quarterbacks. Someone who looks like they should be towing pulling tractor trailers as a hobby. Mike Pennel is leaving quite an impression going into the offseason.

The Green Bay Packers are about to arrive at a crossroads with their nose tackle position this offseason. A critical decision will need to be made about whether or not the Packers want to try and resign B.J. Raji or move on and potentially start Pennel at nose tackle next season. When it comes to the decision, the Packers should take the latter of the two.

B.J. Raji and Letroy Guion are set to hit free agency this offseason. In the event that the Packers don’t resign either of them, someone on the line will need to step up. That player could be Mike Pennel.

More from Green Bay Packers

Pennel is a freak of nature. Standing at 6-foot-4 and over 330 pounds, Pennel plays with the strength of a bulldozer but with the athletic ability of someone half his size. One of the impressions he left on his college coaches was the fact he could do a backflip.

Ask B.J. Raji to do a backflip. Lets see how well that turns out.

Pennel’s overall build and athleticism would make the shift to nose tackle full time relatively easy. We’ve already seen spurts of his strength so far this season.

The top moment of Pennel’s 2015 campaign was Week 16 in Arizona where he threw Ted Larsen aside like he was nothing and sacked Carson Palmer for a loss. If the “offensive linemen shot put” was an Olympic sport, Pennel might have placed gold.

While Pennel is somewhat of a raw prospect for the starting job, you can’t deny that he’s put up some decent numbers during his limited playing time.

Pennel played in just 27.3-percent of the defensive snaps this season compared to Raji at 42.2-percent. Although, Pennel racked up 24 total tackles, a forced fumble, and a sack. Pennel’s 2015 performance means he outperformed Raji in just about every statistical category but in about half as many snaps.

Sep 21, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions offensive line lines up against Green Bay Packers defensive line during the game at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /

The nose tackle position is one that Pennel would dominate. After just two years in the league, it’s evident that Pennel is beginning to clean up his technique. Pennel plays lower than he did during his college days, putting more burst into the linemen off the snap, catching them off guard on most plays.

Pennel is the type of player that teams can’t afford to leave single blocked on most plays. His explosiveness is usually too much for one offensive lineman to handle. If you have players such as Mike Daniels and Pennel soaking up offensive linemen, it should leave room for other players like Clay Matthews to shoot gaps unscathed.

More nfl spin zone: Who is the best NFL player from your state?

Raji will be turning 30 years old in July. It’s clear that the prime of Raji’s career is past him and we might never see production similar to the numbers Raji put up in 2010. In fact, this past season was the first time Raji even recorded half a sack since 2011. For Pennel, a player who’s just hitting his stride, sky would seem to be the limit.

Home/Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers: Mike Pennel Could Be Future At Nose Tackle

By Kyle Engman | Jan 27, 2016

After coming to the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2014, Mike Pennel could single-handedly take over the nose tackle position next season.