Brian Gutekunst rebuilt spine of Packers defense in one offseason

After languishing under Joe Barry, the Packers middle-of-the-field defense may finally, mercifully be back.

Sometimes, you just know.

That’s how rangy Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper felt when he took his pre-draft visit with the Green Bay Packers. One can imagine it’s also how general manager Brian Gutekunst felt while planning his team’s offseason: a down-to-the-studs renovation of the safety position and a refresh of the linebacking corps.

It was obvious when taking stock of the team. Green Bay’s middle-of-the-field defense was among the worst in the NFL in 2023 thanks to a soft spine of underwhelming linebacker play and a rotating cast of character actors that the Packers lined up at safety.

They just knew. Then they took action.

It started in free agency. The Packers prioritized former New York Giants safety Xavier McKinney as they allowed Darnell Savage to walk. Green Bay ranked 23rd in the middle of the field last year by DVOA and 26th at defending tight ends. And don’t even start on how bad the run defense was. The unit paid McKinney at the top of the market to man the middle of new DC Jeff Hafley's system. That was just Step 1, but it was a mammoth step nonetheless.

Despite picking offensive lineman Jordan Morgan, a no-doubt Packers-type prospect, in the first round, Gutekunst told the exhausted media late on Thursday that Friday was “the big night,” a nod to his four picks in the top 60.

After the Philadelphia Eagles sniped Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean one spot ahead of the Packers, Gutekunst moved back to 45th overall while adding a pair of Day 3 picks. Even after doing so, Green Bay still managed to land Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper -- the other Cooper -- a player they likely would have happily picked had they stayed at 41.

“I think he’s a top-15 player,” said one scout to GoLong. “It’s just the (low) value of the position. He does everything. Nasty and explosive. He covers, blitzes. He’ll take on. He can chase and he’s fast. Really fun to watch. He plays like he can (run the defense). His instincts are outstanding. He’s taller and longer than Roquan (Smith).”

If that seems like hyperbole, consider Cooper’s rankings in Pro Football Focus’ most stable linebacker metrics.

• 98th percentile run stop

• 97th percentile run-defense grade

• 96th percentile coverage grade

• 95th percentile forced incompletion percentage

• 95th percentile box-coverage grade

He can do the normal linebacker stuff, but Cooper told reporters during his introductory conference call that the differentiator for him is his ability to affect the quarterback.

"It's everything,” Cooper said. “Some teams don't have a second-level linebacker able to track down faster quarterbacks. I feel like that's one good thing I bring to the table, being able to spy or go rush the passer."