The Combine is the perfect opportunity for the external public to start trying to understand what NFL teams want to do in the draft. Not that executives will reveal much, but putting together glimpses of information and the track record of a franchise helps us have some idea of a team’s plan.
On Tuesday, Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst talked about the strengths of this draft class, offering an interesting perception.
“There’s a lot of numbers in this draft, overall. I think that a lot has to do with the NIL and the guys staying around for school a little bit longer,” Gutekunst said. “I think there’s been a lot of talk about the offensive and defensive lines maybe being a little bit stronger than in some years. But I think it’s a good draft overall, we’re excited for it. We certainly think there’s a bunch of opportunities to help our football team.”
Defensive and offensive lines are the focus. As the Packers already drafted Jordan Morgan and two other offensive linemen (Jacob Monk and Travis Glover) last year, it would make sense to invest in the offensive line later this time around. Which leaves us with the defensive line.
What it means
Last year, the Packers transitioned from a 3-4 to a 4-3 base. Even though it doesn’t mean as much as it used to, it’s still a significant change in terms of alignment. One practical difference is that the team started calling their edge rushers defensive ends instead of outside linebackers, and United them with the interior defensive linemen in the same room.
So when Gutekunst says that he likes the defensive line gruop in this class, he might be talking about both defensive tackles and defensive ends.
And yes, the Packers might very well get an edge rusher early depending on who’s on the board. However, the long-term outlook at tackle is more concerning. On the edges, the Packers have Rashan Gary under a long-term contract, they expect improvement from Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare is a solid rotational piece, and Brenton Cox Jr. showed impressive signs after the team traded Preston Smith away last year.
Meanwhile, there are real question marks at defensive tackle. Kenny Clark extended his deal last offseason, but underperformed in 2024. Devonte Wyatt has not justified his first-round status and is still a designated interior rusher only, and TJ Slaton is slated to hit free agency.
Over the last decade, the Packers have shown that taking a defensive tackle in the first round is part of their philosophy, with both Clark and Wyatt. And we know how much athletic ability matters for Gutekunst.
That’s why Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon is becoming a logical target for Green Bay. Curiously, A to Z Sports’ College Football Managing Editor Travis May mocked Harmon to the Packers back in December. This is what he said about him:
“Derrick Harmon needs to improve his tackling and gap control consistency for a man who measures in a 6’5″, 310 pounds, but he’s also perhaps the best pass rushing defensive tackle in the 2025 NFL Draft not named Mason Graham. He creates consistent havoc and offers crazy high pass rush win rates and pressure percentages. The Packers could use some more havoc up front to help supplement their strong offense.”
At the NFL Combine, Harmon showed his athleticism and generated comparisons to Chris Jones. Interestingly, the Packers took Kenny Clark over Jones in 2016, but the Kansas City Chiefs grabbed Jones in the second round and he became a perennial All-Pro defender and the best non-Aaron Donald defensive tackle of his generation. Obviously, Combine performance doesn’t mean they will be similar players or will have similar production, but it’s an interesting comparison point.
snaps at Oregon. He showed versatility, aligning 180+ times both at the B-gap (353) and over the tackle (188). He finished the season with 55 pressures from the middle, something particularly important for Jeff Hafley’s system.
Defensive tackle might not be the shiny toy Packers fans want. But being strong in the trenches is how the franchise wants to build, and investing in it is a big part of the process.