Green Bay Packers have a very important draft pick in late April. The 12th pick overall is a good spot to be in. Packers can potentially get someone to fall in their laps that might have fallen out of the top 10. As someone pointed out with three quarterbacks selected likely, there is a guarantee that you’re getting a top ten player. Devin White, the middle linebacker from LSU, is one of the guys that gets talked about at the 12th position. He ran a 4.4 40 yard dash and can play on all three downs. He was a vital part of the LSU defense which was one of the best in the country last season. But there are some that do not want any part of White at 12th. Why is that?

The middle linebacker position does not carry the same weight as an EDGE rusher in a 3-4 system. Even though the middle linebacker is the ‘leader’, they get aided by the defensive line opening up holes to fill for tackles. Where you want to see a middle linebacker shine are plays outside of the tackle box. Packers desperately need linebackers that can cover the whole field. You saw it all throughout the playoffs. Teams had linebackers that could play horizontally versus vertically. White can do that, but I’m unsure if any of the current middle linebackers, Blake Martinez and Jake Ryan, could do that for the team. He is a legitimate talent and one that I feel comfortable drafting if the Packers go that route. Many do not share this belief.

Some feel like the idea of going with a middle linebacker when you need an EDGE rusher in an EDGE rusher draft would be a very bad decision. Many scouts do not believe he is a Roquon Smith-type defender. Sure, you can make do with linebackers who aren’t notable draft picks, but if he’s the best player on the board that’s left, you just punt and say ‘No, we don’t need a middle linebacker.’ Packers need talent, period. Darius Leonard is a middle linebacker, got drafted in the second round and took the Colts defense to another level. If the Packers pass on White, it might tell us they like Devin Bush better who could be around at 30 or 44.

Middle linebackers are important. There is a lack of understanding about the position. You go down the list of all of the best defenses in the league history, they all have great middle linebackers. I’m not saying that White is an all-time great player, but he could be the start of something special in Green Bay. It is not a failure if Green Bay picks him.

Charlie.