Green Bay Packers: Linebacker must be upgraded in 2020 offseason

The Green Bay Packers should have inside linebacker position listed as the No. 1 priority in both free agency and the 2020 NFL Draft.

It’s been far too long since the Green Bay Packers last had a legitimate play maker in the middle of their defense. For whatever reason, Green Bay has never historically valued the inside linebacker position. It’s high time the Packers make the position a priority, starting with the 2020 NFL Draft.

With the likely departure of Blake Martinez this offseason, the Packers are left with a bare cupboard at linebacker. Martinez is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent when the NFL’s new league year begins on March 18.

The 26-year-old Martinez, drafted in the fourth round of the 2016 draft, has led the team in tackles the past three seasons. He was credited with 155 total tackles (97 solo) in 2019, good for second-most in the entire NFL. But the linebacker position isn’t just about tackling, and Martinez’s flaws were prevalent in some key areas.

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His ability as a coverage defender was exposed nearly every game, as Martinez ended with just one pass defensed during the entire 2019 season, despite being on the field for 596 coverage snaps. He allowed 81.4 percent of passes into his coverage to be completed. Additionally, Martinez was average in run defense. According to Sports Info Solutions, Martinez’s average depth of tackle was 4.7 yards downfield.

The Packers clearly need to upgrade at linebacker, whether via free agency or the draft. Luckily, there are a few solid options available, particularly early on in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Oklahoma’s Kenneth Murray and LSU’s Patrick Queen are the two consensus best prospects at the position this coming April. Both are touted as first-round talents, so it stands to reason that the Packers would likely need to use the 30th overall pick to select one.

Both players possess the sideline to sideline ability, something the middle of the Packers defense has been lacking for years. Standing at 6-2 and 241 pounds, Murray is the prototypical size of a modern-day NFL linebacker. On the other hand, Queen is smaller, coming in at 6-1, 229 pounds. Each are expected to post crazy testing numbers at this week’s NFL Scouting Combine.

If the Packers elect to wait on drafting a linebacker, a name to watch could be Appalachian State’s Akeem Davis-Gaither. He’s more of a hybrid strong safety/linebacker at 6-1, 224 pounds, but Davis-Gaither could play the role of nickel linebacker that Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine loves to deploy.

Whether the Packers take a linebacker early in this April’s draft or sign a free agent like Cory Littleton or Joe Schobert remains to be seen. But if the defense wants to improve, upgrading the inside linebacker position should be the No. 1 priority this coming offseason.

We’ve seen the type of impact a blue-chip player in the middle of a defense can make. Just look at what younger players like Fred Warner, Tremaine Edmunds and Zach Cunningham have done for their respective teams. The Packers should follow suit.