When the Green Bay Packers utilized the 28th overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft to select Devonte Wyatt, that was some sort of surprise. It was a first-round pick for an older prospect (he was 24 years old at the time) and from arguably a non-premium position.
But the plan put in place by Brian Gutekunst was based on some of the best recent defenses in the league, and how able they were to pressure from the interior of the defensive line. That's who Devonte Wyatt is.
Development (or lack thereof)
The Packers banked on Wyatt's athleticism and pass rush ability. Before the draft in 2022, he registered an elite 9.56 Relative Athletic Score. His game, though, has not taken a significant step forward in his second season, and that's a more troubling issue considering his age.
Wyatt was better in 2023 as a pass rusher, and his PFF grade showed that — jumping from 71.0 to 80.4. But the run defense (from 60.9 to 46.4) and tackling (60.9 to 27.7) got significantly worse with the increase in defensive snaps.
Pass rush
Devonte Wyatt is a disruptor from the interior, and that's his calling card.
In 2023, he had 5.5 sacks, a fumble recovery, and 45 total pressures. And his numbers don't tell the whole story of how productive he was.
"He was very close to having a 10-sack year," former Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry said during the season. "It was great to see the way he finished. I think it's a testament to the kid. He shows up every day and grinds and works and it's paid off for him with the numbers."
The combination of young pass rushers from the interior was a big part of the Packers' defensive plan.
"D-Wy (Devonte Wyatt), Colby (Wooden), and KB (Karl Brooks), those guys can rush and rush they asses off and explosive in the run game and be disruptive," Packers defensive tackle Kenny Clark mentioned. "You've got a good combination of guys and when you put that work in the only thing you can do is get better."
Run gam and tacking
As NFL analyst Ben Fennell shows, Devonte Wyatt can sporadically be effective against the run.
But the lack of consistency is still an issue, and that's mostly why he is not a full-time starter. He jumped from 21.68% to 49.68% of the defensive snaps from 2022 to 2023, but he was still third among the defensive tackles, behind Kenny Clark (72.91%) and TJ Slaton (56.35%).
With the Packers moving to a 4-3 base defense, there will presumably be fewer instances of three interior defensive linemen on the field at the same time, so the number of available snaps will be even lower.
Devonte Wyatt still has a high ceiling, and hopefully for the Packers he will develop under new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley and new defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich, a former pass rush specialist. But he has to take advantage of these opportunities to surpass TJ Slaton and be a major contributor to the defense.
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