OLBs coach Jason Rebrovich may have alluded to what the Packers will do in the draft
The Packers lost Za'Darius Smith during the beginning stages of the offseason, so that means they're in the hunt for a pass rusher, right? Initially, it wouldn't seem so with Preston Smith and Rashan Gary penciled in as the projected starters. Both players had very solid years in 2021, combining for 18.5 sacks, 45 quarterback […]
The Packers lost Za'Darius Smith during the beginning stages of the offseason, so that means they're in the hunt for a pass rusher, right?
Initially, it wouldn't seem so with Preston Smith and Rashan Gary penciled in as the projected starters. Both players had very solid years in 2021, combining for 18.5 sacks, 45 quarterback hits, 17.0 TFLs and four forced fumbles.
And then, Tipa Galeai, Jonathan Garvin, Randy Ramsey, and Ladarius Hamilton round out the rest of the group. Galeai and Garvin showed some promise last year and Ramsey is trying to recapture the momentum he showed in 2020 before a season-ending injury derailed his 2021 campaign. Ladarius Hamilton was added in mid-September and played sparingly throughout the year.
So, the Packers have options. But only two of those options -Smith and Gary- have shown they can consistently make plays in the NFL.
And according to new outside linebackers coach Jason Rebrovich, that isn't enough. He needs more reliable players in his rotation.
"I love four guys," Rebrovich (or "Rebs" as he likes to be called) said when asked how many OLBs he likes to have in his rotation. "Four, legit guys that you can sub in, sub out; whether it's situational, red zone, two-minute, third-down packages, etc. I'm not opposed to having two-on and then two-off. If you get four guys and that's how we gotta rotate 'em, then that's how we gotta rotate 'em."
Don't get it twisted: Rebs likes what he has on the roster. But this is the NFL. You can never have too many pass rushers and you're always looking to improve your roster.
Rebs knows this and that's why he will always be looking for the next best thing and how it fits into his plans for the position.
"You're always looking to improve," Rebs said. "I don't think we can sit here and say that we don't want to improve from Rashan [Gary] or Preston [Smith]. … They should improve by themselves and their techniques [through] working with us for another year.
"Every year you play in this league, you have to get better at something. Because if you're not, then you're becoming stale and usually that's the time when your rear end is going to be out of this league."
Of the four aforementioned depth players, only Garvin was drafted. And he was taken in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Now, we all know that solid players can be found in the final rounds of the draft and in the free agency period that follows, but said players are more the exception than the rule. They typically aren't players you want to rely on when figuring out your roster.
So does this mean the Packers will take an outside linebacker/EDGE rusher with one of their early picks in the draft?
It could definitely play out that way. One reason why the Packers pass rush avoided a big drop off after Smith's injury was because of Gary, a former first-round pick. Gary was the pass rush's third option and came into his own after Smith went down.
The Packers are counting on their defense in a big way this year, so it would seem a bit foolish to go into the season without quality depth at one of the most important positions in the sport.
And of course, there's no guarantee a first-, second-, or even third-round pick will pan out in Year 1, but shooting your shot would not be a bad idea when considering Rebs' rotational preferences and how the roster is currently composed.
The draft experts see the need for an EDGE in Green Bay, as well. NFL.com's Chad Reuter actually has the Packers trading up to select George Karlaftis in the first round, so it's not completely crazy that the Packers could select a pass rusher early in the draft.
There's the future to consider, as well. Gary will command top-dollar if he continues his trajectory and Smith will be 30 in November. Not only would a draft pick add to Rebs' rotation, but it would give the Packers a plan for the future, as well.
Will Packers fans see Rebs' words come to life on draft day? Who knows, but it certainly seems like they'll hold weight.
You can watch Rebs' entire interview, below:
Featured image via Mark Hoffman / USA TODAY NETWORK
