“Pre-draft picture” is a position-by-position look at the Packers’ roster heading into the 2025 NFL Draft. The series continues with the defensive line.
GREEN BAY – How the Packers’ defensive line is viewed heading into this draft can depend on who’s consulted.
On the one hand, General Manager Brian Gutekunst has said multiple times this offseason he feels the Packers have what they need to produce a more consistent and formidable pass rush in 2025, provided the recent investments along the defensive front continue to make strides as they hit their prime.
On the other, draft analysts commonly are mocking an interior D-lineman or edge rusher to the Packers at No. 23 overall in the first round.
So which perspective is it? Well, maybe both.
It’s reasonable to see where Gutekunst is coming from. If the Packers had to play a game tomorrow, the starting defensive line would feature 2024 Pro Bowler Rashan Gary and 2023 first-round pick Lukas Van Ness on the edges, with three-time Pro Bowler Kenny Clark and 2022 first-round pick Devonte Wyatt on the inside.
Behind them, fourth-year pro Kingsley Enagbare along with former undrafted prospects Brenton Cox Jr. and Arron Mosby – all of whom received more playing time last fall after Preston Smith was traded – would rotate on the outside, while third-year linemen Karl Brooks and Colby Wooden would back up the interior.
Considering all those in the starting and rotational groups except Gary and Clark are on their first NFL contracts and still developing into the players the Packers projected them to be, the room for growth and progress exists.
Van Ness (6-5, 272) has enjoyed productive stretches in each of his first two seasons, but there’s certainly more expected than his career total thus far of seven sacks. Same for Wyatt (6-3, 304), who looked ready to break out last year with three sacks in the first month before an ankle injury appeared to derail his season.
In addition, Enagbare (6-4, 258) recorded three sacks and Cox (6-4, 250) four last season after the Smith trade, and Brooks (6-3, 296) has 7½ sacks in two years – a healthy total for a part-time interior player – plus a game-winning field goal block in Chicago to his credit.
But … the other lens shows reasons for concern.
First, the run defense’s No. 7 ranking in coordinator Jeff Hafley’s first season – Green Bay’s highest…
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