Packers coach expects 'big jump' from 2021 draft pick in Year 2
Don't look now, but the Packers defense is looking pretty good heading into 2022. The team has playmakers on all three levels in Kenny Clark, Preston Smith/De'Vondre Campbell/Rashan Gary, and then pretty much every player in the secondary from cornerback Jaire Alexander to safety Adrian Amos. If the defense can take the expected step forward […]
Don't look now, but the Packers defense is looking pretty good heading into 2022.
The team has playmakers on all three levels in Kenny Clark, Preston Smith/De'Vondre Campbell/Rashan Gary, and then pretty much every player in the secondary from cornerback Jaire Alexander to safety Adrian Amos. If the defense can take the expected step forward in 2022 then it will be one of the best units in the league.
One player that's part of the proverbial step forward is 2021 fifth-round draft pick Tedarrell (T.J.) Slaton. The former Florida Gator had a pretty solid rookie season, playing nearly a quarter of the defensive snaps and recording 23 combined tackles, 1.0 sack, and two quarterback hits.
"Big jump. I'm expecting him to take a big jump," Packers defensive line coach/running game coordinator Jerry Montgomery told reporters Tuesday. "No different than when [Keke] Kingsley was here or Kenny [Clark's] Year 1 to Year 2 or Dean [Lowry]. I'm expecting him to take a big jump from Year 1 to Year two and hopefully he comes back in shape and ready to go.
"He's made a lot of progess from Point A to Point B and now we need to get to Point C."
Slaton is a big boy at 6-foot-4, 330-pounds. He's primarily a run stuffer, but that's a good thing. The Packers struggled mightily to stop the run in 2021, allowing 4.7 yards per carry, which was the third-worst mark in the NFL.
An improved Slaton would go a long way in helping improve the run defense and Montgomery knows that. But there's still work to be done when it comes to Slaton's game. Per Pro Football Focus, Slaton finished with an overall run defense grade of 44.7, which tied for 96th out of 127 defensive linemen with at least 122 run defense snaps in 2021.
You can see Slaton's strengths and foundation, however. His missed tackle rate of 4.5% and his 3.1 average depth of tackle both ranked 23rd out of 127 most qualifying linemen. His stop rate of 7.5% also had him just outside the top-50 at No. 51.
"The times when he did it right, you could see the line of scrimmage move the other way," Montgomery said. "So when he's attacking and knocking the line of scrimmage back and using his hands and getting off blocks, he's pretty dominant. He's a big man, [he 's] athletic, he's lean. If we can continue to do that on a consistent basis, I think we'll have a good player on our hands."
"I think he can be a dominant run player when he's doing the right things and that's what I'm going to hold him accountable for."
Whether or not Slaton improves in 2021 remains to be seen. But Montgomery and the Packers have a plan and a vision for the kid and that's a great starting point.
You can check out Montgomery's full presser, below.
Featured image via MARK HOFFMAN/MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL via Imagn Content Services, LLC
