The Green Bay Packers selected Rashan Gary with the 12th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Gary came out of Michigan as a highly-touted prospect.

While he was considered raw, the pass rusher has all types of elite potential. That's exactly what he showed in 2019. A good amount of potential, but it was evident that he needed more time to polish his game.

So with that in mind, what can Gary bring to the table for Green Bay in the future? Just how good can he be?

The first thing you need to look at is 2019. Gary's rookie year doesn't really jump out at you. Again though, this is a raw talent.

Appearing in 16 games, Gary had 21 tackles (three for loss) and two sacks. He had three quarterback hits and one fumble recovery as well.

Those numbers don't look great, right? Well, consider this.

Gary played 36% of the defensive snaps in Week 3. In that game, he had a career-high in tackles (4), tackles for loss (1), sacks (1), QB hits (1) and fumble recoveries (1). That 36% is the highest percentage of snaps he appeared in all year.

In fact, Gary only had over 30% one other time the entire year (31% in Week 5).

So yes, the numbers were not good for Gary in his rookie season. He was not really playing to put up big numbers though. You can't expect someone playing a quarter of a game to be loading up on stats.

This is not a knock on the Packers either. They had better players ahead of Gary. And they took him knowing he would be a project. I don't really think they drafted him expecting he would get them 10-plus sacks in year one.

Next, look at the size and athleticism. Gary is 6'5″, 277 lbs. In other words, he's a tank. He has great hands though, and nice footwork. He's strong and athletic and can get to the quarterback at a good rate.

All that should combine for a monster of a player. That's why the potential is so high.

So what should you expect from Gary? Just how good can he be? Well, Gary can be a legitimate superstar if you are willing to be patient.

There's a chance it could take another two years before things start to click. But look at someone on the team as a perfect example. Preston Smith was very “eh” with the Washington Redskins.

You could argue it was coaching, but it could also be that he simply needed time to develop. Year one with the Packers, Smith racked up 12 sacks (easily a career-high). That was his fifth year in the NFL.

Rashan Gary can be a star like Smith has become. The Packers need to exercise patience though. If they can do that, he will definitely reward them handsomely.