Packers' Positional Previews: Defensive Line
Outside of the safeties, is it really true that this group of defensive players might actually be the strength of the defense? As in, the same line that lost NT BJ Raji to retirement just one year ago and facing a Letroy Guion suspension, and was considered vastly suspect after Mike Daniels? Well, this isn't necessarily saying that this group got a whole lot better, but it's more saying that the losses at outside backers and the general weakness of the corners and inside backers makes the defensive line a "strength". It might actually be, though.
PLAYERS
#76 Mike Daniels; 6th season out of Iowa
Stats: 33 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 fumble recovery
Daniels is still far and away the best player on this defensive line, and might have passed Clay Matthews for the best defensive player in general. He's ranked in the NFL Top 100 for the second straight year, and about three more sacks next season and a turnover will put him in the Pro Bowl mix and even All-NFL mix.
#97 Kenny Clark; 2nd season out of UCLA
Stats: 21 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries
The former first round pick still needs to record his first NFL sack, but an overall lack of playing time should put him in the picture for that. He's still very young (one of four 21 year olds, and the only non-rookie who's 21) so time is on his side. The Letroy Guion suspension will make him the front-runner to start the season at nose tackle, and might even for the entire season.
#98 Letroy Guion; 10th season out of Florida State
Stats: 30 tackles
That's with missing four games, and if you add on one tackle per game, it gives him the most on the team. Guion impacts the run defense at a high level, and I believe adding him four games into the season with a fresh pair of legs helps more than hurts the roster. We would probably have to get rid of both Brian Price and Christian Ringo (assuming we don't keep seven linemen), but neither of them have Guion's impact on the field. He's stupid for getting suspended nearly every season, but he's good enough that he can help us win a Super Bowl.
#95 Ricky Jean Francois; 9th season out of LSU
Stats: 32 tackles, 1.5 sacks
Jean Francois has been a slightly above average lineman with the San Francisco 49ers and Washington Redskins during his career, and he's likely to be a starter with the Guion suspension. I think he'll make a good impact on first and second downs for this team.
#94 Dean Lowry; 2nd season out of Northwestern
Stats: 8 tackles, 2 sacks
Out of the two rookie linemen, I'd say that the fourth rounder Lowry had the better season. That's not saying he will be the better player, but we did get good value in the draft last season with the way that Lowry played later in the season. He should see a bigger role throughout the season this year.
#90 Montravius Adams; Rookie out of Auburn
Stats: 151 career tackles, All-SEC 1st Team (Media), All-SEC 2nd Team (Coaches)
It's hard to get SEC awards on defense, but Adams was a first team player. He was the third round pick in the draft for the Packers, and he'll need to fight his way into some playing time.
#96 Brian Price; 1st season out of Texas-San Antonio *undrafted
Price is the backup nose tackle until/if Guion returns from suspension, and the fact that they still haven't cut him in general doesn't bode well for Price. It just means that he'll have to prove that he is good enough for Ted Thompson to feel comfortable with cutting Guion.
#99 Christian Ringo; 2nd season out of UL Lafayette
Ringo has had two seasons now to show he is worth the draft capital the Packers' have used on him in the past, and at this point I'd say he's on thin ice. If he struggles during camp I don't think the Packers will keep him, or feel any inside or outside pressure to do so.
#71 Izaah Lunsford; Rookie out of Bowling Green State *undrafted
Stats: 90 tackles, 12 for loss, 4.5 sacks
I don't know much about Lunsford, or even know he was on the roster until three minutes before typing this, but those numbers are career numbers, so it's hard to know what they mean. He's likely looking for a spot on the practice squad.
I think the Packers should keep six players from this group, whether they include Guion or not. Either way, a foursome of Daniels, Clark, Lowry and Jean Francois will be good enough to get them through the regular season and beyond. This group doesn't worry me, it's the rest of the defense that I have concerns about.
