Needing Linebacker, Packers See Plenty of Speed at Scouting Combine

In the 1986 movie Top Gun, Tom Cruise’s “Maverick” character famously said, “I feel the need – the need for speed!”

If Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst’s is feeling the need to add speed to his linebacker depth chart – it’s a position of need entering the 2024 NFL Draft – he’ll be thrilled with Thursday night’s track meet at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.

Led by North Carolina State’s Payton Wilson running a startling 4.43, seven linebackers broke 4.60 seconds in the 40-yard dash.

The tale of the tape, err, stopwatch:

Wilson: 4.43.

Kalen DeLoach, Florida State: 4.47. (But just 5-foot-11, 210 pounds)

Edgerrin Cooper, Texas A&M, 4.51.

Trevin Wallace, Kentucky: 4.52.

Jordan Magee, Temple: 4.55.

Edefuan Ulofoshio, Washington: 4.56.

Curtis Jacobs, Penn State: 4.58.

Remember, the historic Scouting Combine average is 4.72 seconds for an off-the-ball linebacker. For further reference, here are the 40 times for the three linebackers who played most of the snaps for Green Bay last year: 2022 first-round pick Quay Walker ran his in 4.52 seconds, 2021 sixth-round pick Isaiah McDuffie ran his in 4.61 seconds and 2016 fourth-round pick (by Atlanta) De’Vondre Campbell ran his in 4.58.

Last year, nine linebackers broke 4.60, but most of them weren’t the top prospects.

This year, of NFL.com’s pre-Scouting Combine top 10, Cooper (ranked third), Wilson (fourth), Magee (seventh) and Jacobs (10th) were among the fastest linebackers. While Michigan’s Junior Colson and Clemson’s Jeremiah Trotter were among those who skipped the 40, North Carolina’s Cedric Gray was the slowest among NFL.com’s top 10 at a not-slow 4.64 seconds.

Perhaps nobody made more money than Wilson.

“I’m just excited to get to continue to prove to everyone that I'm one of the most athletic linebackers to ever come through this Combine and I'm looking to impress a lot of people,” Wilson told reporters a day earlier.

Mission accomplished.

With a unique combination of size (6-4, 233) and speed, Wilson’s skill has never been in question. However, he missed the 2018 season following a knee injury sustained during a June workout and missed most of 2021 with a shoulder injury.

“Throughout my career, early in my career, I did have a lot of injuries,” said Wilson, whose brother, Bryse, is a standout pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers. “But these last two years, I've stayed really healthy (and) put on some extra weight. I've really honed in on nutrition and maintenance programs to keep me healthy. I think what I have going on is going to keep me playing a long time in the NFL.

“I'm not scared of injuries. At the end of the day, they're inevitable and I'm going to play every single play like it's my last. Whatever happens, happens.”

In 2023, what happened is he won the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker with a rather absurd 138 tackles, six sacks, 17.5 tackles for losses, three interceptions and six passes defensed.

So long as team physicians are happy with the medical testing, Wilson might have joined Colson, Cooper and Trotter in the race to be the No. 1 linebacker off the board. There’s a chance all four could be available when the Packers are on the clock with the 41st overall pick of the second round.

Cooper (6-2, 230) had a big day. En route to that 4.51 in the 40, his 10-yard split of 1.54 seconds was the fastest at the position. While he’s undersized, he’s got 34-inch arms to keep blockers at bay.

Magee (6-1, 228) called himself a “sideline-to-sideline guy,” which the 40-time confirmed. He is coming off a final season of 3.5 sacks, 14 tackles for losses and four passes defensed.

Colson (6-2, 238), who was the best player on the best defense in the nation, didn’t test due to injury but intends to perform for scouts at Michigan’s pro day on March 22. He had 101 tackles in 2022 and 95 in 2023.

“Ever since I first stepped on the football field, I always wanted to be the best,” Colson told reporters. “I think I have one of the best tapes out there, especially as a linebacker. I want (teams) to be able to understand what type of player I am.”