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 Michigan LB Josh Uche:
What he can do
– Excellent “get off.” Speed-to-power could be a go-to move tool in the toolbox
– Squattier athlete (6-1) as a pass rusher, but he has almost 34-inch arms. He uses his hands to get leverage and plays with surprising power in moments
– Uche had only modest pass-rushing production while in college, but he was the most-efficient in creating pressure, according to PFF. Needs to finish. Shows the ability to create pressure but stalls
– Was asked to cover in space in college. Should have the movement ability to cover the hook/curl/flat zones at the next level. May struggle one-on-one against the faster running backs and tight ends
– Quickly drops into zones when asked to cover. Looks fairly comfortable attaching himself to tight ends up the seam
– If teams want to move him more into an off-ball role with subpackage rushing responsibilities, Uche may need time to develop his eyes and instincts. Shows evidence on tape of being able to eliminate angles with good speed to the perimeter with good pursuit angles, but can also find himself out of position with questionable eye discipline
– Quick in small spaces. When combined with quick hands, Uche can squeeze and defeat blocks despite being undersized.
– Leverage is intuitive for Uche. Tends not to over-extend his pass rush arc. Inherently understands pursuit angles with ball carriers, staying “in phase,” and usually doesn’t try to “cheat” when he’s blocked by slipping underneath hr scooping over the top
How he fits
Like Zack Baun, Uche would be a bit of a projection in terms of position. He spent a lot of time as a rusher near the line of scrimmage at Michigan. At the Combine, Uche said he practiced every day as an off-ball “Sam” ‘backer, so he has ample experience in a practice setting seeing the field from an off-ball position. The Packers have a two-year stop-gap in Christian Kirksey. Is Uche the long-term replacement? No. However, his skillset provides some positional ambiguity that could give the Packers an inside linebacker on rushing downs and a subpackage rusher in obvious passing situations. The Packers lost some pass rush depth with the exodus of Kyler Fackrell. Uche is a projection, but if Mike Pettine can get creative enough, he could be an interesting chess piece that provides depth at multiple positions and furthers Green Bay’s question for playing position-less defense across much of its front seven.
NFL comp
The Draft Network sees Devon Kennard. He’s built a heck of a lot like freshly-retired Buffalo Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander. Alexander spent time oscillating, very successfully, between an off-ball role and a pass-rushing role. Uche should be used similarly.
Where Packers could get him
Uche isn’t getting the love that Zack Baun is getting despite having similar projections. Nonetheless, Uche stole the show at the Senior Bowl. An injury at the Senior Bowl restricted him from working out at the combine, and without Pro Days, we don’t have updated data on Uche’s athletic profile. If teams go by Senior Bowl and game tape, Uche is probably a second-rounder, a discount-level Zack Baun. If he’s available at the end of the second, it’s very good value for the Packers.
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
LB Zack Baun
LB Akeem Davis-Gaither
OT Josh Jones
OT Austin Jackson
S Antoine Winfield Jr.
DL Raekwon Davis
DB Xavier McKinney
WR Donovan Peoples-Jones
DL A.J. Epenesa
TE Hunter Bryant
RB Jonathan Taylor
RB Zack Moss
WR Michael Pittman
WR K.J. Hamler
WR John Hightower
LB Jordyn Brooks
LB Troy Dye
LB Willie Gay Jr.
OT Jack Driscoll
WR Devin Duvernay
OT Ezra Cleveland
WR Van Jefferson
OT Andrew Thomas
S Grant Delpit
TE Cole Kmet
OT Tristan Wirfs
QB Jordan Love
RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
DB Jeremy Chinn
RB/WR Antonio Gibson
DL Jordan Elliott
DB K’Von Wallace
WR Bryan Edwards
DL Ross Blacklock
LB Logan Wilson
DL Justin Madubuike
RB Cam Akers
LB Malik Harrison
RB Darrynton Evans
WR Lynn Bowden Jr.
WR Gabriel Davis