Green Bay Packers: Could Kamal Martin start at linebacker?

Green Bay Packers rookie linebacker Kamal Martin is showing out at training camp.

Linebacker was a bit of a concern for the Green Bay Packers last season. While Blake Martinez racked up tackle stats, he was overall ineffective. That’s why general manager Brian Gutekunst felt comfortable letting him walk in free agency, in turn bringing in veteran Christian Kirksey to fill one inside linebacker spot in the 3-4 base.

With Kirksey, the plan seemed to be for 2018 third-round pick Oren Burks, who struggled with injuries in his second season, to slot in alongside him. As training camp and padded practices are underway for the Packers, though, it might not be Burks or even Ty Summers who is in line to slot into that role. Rather, rookie Kamal Martin is making his case.

The Packers 2020 draft class has been met with the ire of many, largely because of how they operated in the first three rounds. But Martin was a fifth-round pick out of Minnesota who largely went unnoticed given the uproar over the team’s trio of top-100 selections. He’s not going unnoticed now, however.

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According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, Martin has been a standout at virtually every practice thus far at Packers training camp. He’s consistently made plays coming down and disrupting things in the backfield with Demovsky noting that he blew up a Jamaal Williams run and broke up a screen pass attempt on Tuesday. And Demovsky noted that Martin is at least making a case to be a starting linebacker in Green Bay this season.

Is Kamal Martin going to start with Christian Kirksey for the Green Bay Packers?

Martin potentially could’ve been higher than a fifth-round pick had it not been for an injury in his final collegiate game with the Golden Gophers, which raised some concerns and kept him from testing at the NFL Combine. Having said that, his tools to be effective in the NFL were clear on tape, as noted by The Draft Network’s Kyle Crabbs:

"Kamal Martin projects as an inside linebacker in an odd front system, where he can play the role of a downhill thud linebacker and plug up gaps. Martin appears to lack the mobility and range to be a sufficient defender in space at the NFL level and as such, pairing him with another ILB an asking him to attack gaps down hill will keep him in his wheelhouse."

If Kirksey is healthy, then Martin’s skill-set appears to be an ideal fit for what the Packers need. At his best in Cleveland when working with Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, he shined in coverage while being solid in run defense. If he’s at 100 percent and can stay that way, that will allow Martin to be an early-down player who pairs ideally with the newcomer free agent.

The only thing that could keep Martin out of the starting job beside Kirksey is the shortened offseason. Burks and Summers have experience on this defense and in the NFL, which is an advantage without a full slate of OTAs, minicamps and workouts.

Having said that, if Martin continues this level of play in training camp and that carries on into the season, he’s going to get time on the field defensively. Even if he’s not the starter come Week 1 for the Packers, his performance thus far at camp is putting him on the map as a player to watch in Green Bay.