The Green Bay Packers must use the 2020 NFL Draft to provide the finishing touches on a team that won 13 regular-season games and got within one game of the Super Bowl during Matt LaFleur’s first season as head coach.
Between now and the draft, Packers Wire will periodically break down one top prospect fitting the Packers’ roster needs.
Up next is Wisconsin linebacker Zack Baun:
What he can do
– Fluid hips for a man his size; drops into the zone well
– Was asked to cover quite a bit for an edge rusher and played the part well; as a former quarterback at Brown Deer High School, Baun “sees” the field well in coverage and seems to intuit pass lanes
– A slick pass rusher with a variety moves, Baun shows clear hip flexibility to dip and turn the corner underneath and around the tackle
– Also keeps a variety of counter rushes in his toolbox, including an inside spin (which can be devastating for over-leveraged offensive tackles)
– Uses hands/arms well to create and maintain separation and leverage
– Doesn’t have ideal edge rusher size (6-2, 238), which is likely why scouts see him as an off-ball linebacker
– Speed is just OK but makes up for it with instincts and savvy; anticipation puts him in the right spot more often than not. Baun ran a 4.65 40 at the NFL combine last week. His speed on tape is fine but that isn’t how he’s going to “win” at the next level
– That said, though he’s not the fastest straight-line speed guy, Baun is still a heck of an athlete. Possesses fluid change-of-direction skills; plays within his center
– Like most Badgers, Baun’s a high-effort, to-the-whistle defender
– While speedier runners may elude him, Baun plays in control and tackles well; he may not have the sideline-to-sideline ability of Patrick Queen or Kenneth Murray, but he’s also more judicious with his leverage, which often means less missed tackles.
How he fits
Baun is a difficult fit for Green Bay. The Packers’ acute need for premier three-down off-ball linebacker and defensive signal-caller may not be what Baun is. At this point, his capacity to play off the ball and be productive is a bigger projection than, say, Patrick Queen or Kenneth Murray, the consensus top-two inside linebacker prospects. The Packers could roll the dice, but Mike Pettine would have to have a plan. He can rush, and he’s best along the edge in that capacity, but with Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith, and Rashan Gary, drafting Baun as a strict edge player might be a frivolous luxury the team can ill afford. With that said, if the Packers play him as their off-ball linebacker on obvious passing downs and use him as an additional rover, a la Za’Darius Smith, but with a greater tendency to drop into coverage, then they’d have a front seven full of chameleons. The additional athleticism – Baun’s tape looks like an athletic upgrade over Blake Martinez – should also help against the run.
NFL comp
Wild as it is, some are floating Clay Matthews as Baun’s comp. Matthews plays with a bit more ferocity than Baun, but they’re close in size and are similarly-bendy athletes. Another logical comp is Kyle Van Noy, who has played on the edge and off the ball.
Where the Packers can get him
It would probably take the No. 30 pick in the first round to secure Baun, depending on how teams view him. The dearth of edge talent might push a team to push his value a bit higher, but his floor isn’t much lower than the beginning of the second round.
Previous Prospects for the Pack
WR Tee Higgins
LB Kenneth Murray
LB Patrick Queen
WR Jalen Reagor
WR Justin Jefferson
TE Harrison Bryant
WR Denzel Mims
WR Brandon Aiyuk
WR/TE Chase Claypool