Ohio State's Nick Bosa was considered by most to be the top edge-rushing prospect in the 2019 NFL Draft class, and, as a result, he went to the San Francisco 49ers at No. 2. But the Green Bay Packers picked up Michigan's Rashan Gary at No. 12, and they feel they did even better than the 49ers. At least according to outside linebackers coach Mike Smith:
“We wouldn’t get [Bosa], but I want to see where he’s at and compare [Gary],” said Smith, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. “Going into that, I knew we had a chance. I honestly didn’t think he was going to 12 — I thought he was going to go way before that with how I evaluated him and looked at him. I thought he was the best in college football as an outside linebacker. I had him No. 1 because I believed in him, so I was very excited when we got him. I was running down the hallway. I know what he has and I know what he can do and I’m excited to work for him.”
Many feel that Gary was a classic high-risk, high-reward pick for the Packers, as he was not all that productive at Michigan. He totaled just 3.5 sacks this past season, and throughout his collegiate career overall, he accumulated only 9.5 sacks.
But, Smith and the Packers are more concerned with generating pressure than racking up sacks, and they feel that Gary will do a phenomenal job of pressuring the quarterback in the NFL.
We'll see if they are right in a few months.
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