The Green Bay Packers have one of the best interior defensive linemen in the NFL in Kenny Clark. He’s a cornerstone piece for Joe Barry’s defense.
The to-do list for Brian Gutekunst for the upcoming offseason is a long one, but one of the items on that list has to be “Get Kenny Clark Help.”
That help could come in the form of Alabama’s defensive lineman Phidarian Mathis. Mathis will be a player to watch for Packers fans when the Crimson Tide takes on the Cincinnati Bearcats in the College Football Playoffs on Friday, Dec. 31.
Mathis has been a disruptive force from his defensive tackle position all season. The 6-4, 312-pound senior has recorded 10 tackles for loss and eight sacks on the season.
The senior defensive tackle enters the College Football Playoffs on a terror. Over the last three games, Mathis has recorded 10 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks.
The Alabama defensive tackle passes the eye test. Mathis has powerful shoulders and stuns offensive linemen with his strong, heavy hands. He gets upfield quickly by winning off the snap, possessing a quick first step.
For a big man, Mathis stays light on his feet and shows good lateral quickness to make plays up and down the line of scrimmage. Mathis shows good effort from snap to snap and does a great job of chasing plays down.
“He gets a lot of cleanup tackles along the line,” Brent Taylor, the editor for Roll Bama Roll said. “He’s also good for blowing through the offensive line for a perfectly timed jump on the snap about once per game, and he can do it from the interior or against a tackle on the outside. His physical attributes may not be eye-popping, but he’s absolutely a consistent difference-maker all game long.”
As a run defender, Mathis is strong at the point of attack. He rarely gets pushed off his spot and is quick to locate the ball carrier.
“Mathis isn’t some massive nose tackle that’s going to stonewall double teams and absolutely dominate two gaps,” Taylor said. “He’s strong enough to hold his own in one-on-one situations and can definitely undercut someone to make a tackle in the backfield. He’s also got great lateral ability and will get a number of clean-up tackles on outside runs and zone cutbacks.”
In terms of what Mathis offers as a pass-rusher, he has the quickness and burst to collapse the pocket. Mathis finished his one year as a starter at Alabama with eight sacks. While he may never reach that total as a pro, he has flashed the ability to be a difference-maker as a pass rusher.
“No defensive tackle is going to be a pure pass-rusher, but a guy who’s going to get you nearly one sack per game (usually as the first guy to the QB) is extremely valuable as a nose tackle,” Taylor said. “I won’t say he’s got elite rushing techniques or crazy speed, but he’s quick, has good timing, elite conditioning/stamina, and can bullrush. That combination can really cause some disruption up the center.”
Right now Green Bay’s defensive line consists of Clark and a bunch of guys. Gutekunst may have found a gem on day three of the draft last year when he selected Tedarrell Slaton.
The Green Bay defense has shown significant improvement under Barry, but the run defense has started to slip as of late. In the past three games, they are giving up nearly seven yards per carry.
By selecting Mathis on day two of the draft, the Packers would be getting a defensive lineman that could step in from day and be a factor as a pass rusher and help shore up the run defense.
“I don’t think he’s the kind of alien-like athlete that can dominate in the pros like Jonathan Allen or Christian Barmore or anything,” Taylor said. “But a 310-pound defensive tackle with the quickness to be a decent pass rusher and the energy and stamina to consistently bring high-level play without getting washed out on no-huddle situations is a really, really valuable role on any defense.”
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