Green Bay Packers rookie defensive lineman Rashan Gary is certainly one of the more interesting first-year players in the NFL, as he is one of the rookies with the most boom-or-bust potential.
Thus far, Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine is loving what he has seen from Gary.
“You love his effort,” said Pettine, according to Lily Zhao of WFRV. “Sometimes you have to slow him down during the walkthrough. … That's a guy who the effort is there every play. He's going to make a lot of plays.”
Given that Gary's motor was one of the biggest questions about him coming out of college, this certainly must be music to the ears of Packers fans.
Gary, who played his collegiate football at the University of Michigan, was selected by Green Bay with the 12th overall pick of the draft back in April.
He is coming off of a junior campaign in which he played just nine games due to a shoulder injury, and when he was on the field, he registered 38 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks.
Gary arrived at Michigan in 2016 but did not have a huge impact during his freshman year, logging just 23 tackles, five tackles for loss and a half of a sack, but the following year, Gary had his most productive season, racking up 58 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, and a forced fumble.
The Packers went a disappointing 6-9-1 and missed the playoffs in 2018, marking the first time since 2006 that Green Bay had failed to qualify for the postseason in back-to-back campaigns.