The Green Bay Packers will be on the clock with the No. 29 selection in the 2017 NFL Draft. They have a wide array of needs, despite qualifying for the NFC Championship Game last season. One player they should take a look at is linebacker T.J. Watt, a prospect out of the University of Wisconsin and the sibling of one of the best player's in the NFL right now.
Profile of T.J. Watt
Watt has a strong profile as an outside linebacker. At the NFL Scouting Combine, he helped his draft stock with some impressive performances. He had a 37-inch vertical jump and a 10-8 broad jump.
He had 21 reps in the bench press, though his 40-yard dash time was a little slower than some teams were probably hoping for, running a 4.71.
The converted tight end had a big year at Wisconsin. He had 63 tackles and 11.5 sacks on the year, in addition to forcing two fumbles and returning an interception for a touchdown. The perfornance was good enough for Watt to place on the All-Big Ten First Team and the All-American Second Team for the 2016 season. He declared for the draft looking to follow his brothers into the NFL.
A fit in Green Bay
Outside linebacker -- and linebacker in general -- is a need for the Packers this offseason. Clay Matthews has been dealing with injuries and forced to play out of position across the unit.
Meanwhile, Nick Perry had a breakout year for team in 2016, but his previous level of production suggests he'll command more money on the open market than the team will be willing to pay him to re-sign with the team.
Bringing in Watt may be the right course of action in the draft. He still needs to develop some of the skills to play his position at the professional level, but that's the case for nearly any prospect.
The potential for him to become the next star linebacker for the Packers is tremendous, especially if brother J.J. rubs off on him in any way. Green Bay needs to address this issue one way or another, so drafting the kid from a local university towards the end of the first round makes a lot of sense.
