The Green Bay Packers defense is going to look very different this year. Not only is new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley switching to a 4-3 scheme from the 3-4 one deployed by Green Bay’s last three defensive coordinators (Dom Capers, Mike Pettine, and Joe Barry), but all the talk from the coaching staff indicates that it will also be more aggressive.
On Thursday, defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich said, “It’s about TFLs and sacks. We’re gonna look to create havoc in the backfield.” Under the previous regime, the Packers’ front seven typically played reactionary football instead of aggressive, attacking football. If Rebrovich and Hafley are to be believed, that is going to change in 2024.
Theoretically, a more aggressive defensive approach by the front seven will lead to more production from the players at those positions, and one NFL analyst thinks on 2023 sixth round pick is in for a huge year.
NFL Analyst Predicts Karl Brooks Will Explode for the Green Bay Packers
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In an article that predicted a second-year player on every NFL team that was primed to explode in 2024, Bleacher Report‘s Brent Sobleski chose Packers’ defensive lineman Karl Brooks as Green Bay’s candidate. He wrote:
“Over the final nine games of the season, Brooks was, arguably, the NFL’s best rookie interior defender, even with the Los Angeles Rams’ Kobie Turner and Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Carter playing well.
“In Week 12, he was the NFL’s highest-graded defensive tackle, according to Pro Football Focus. He became the Packers’ highest-graded defender over the final three weeks of the season.
“Brooks may not crack Green Bay’s starting lineup during his second season, but he shouldn’t be fourth in snaps played among its interior defenders, either. He can be a difference-maker based on how he often he plays in opposing backfields.”
Brooks is certainly a bold choice, considering Green Bay also have Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Luke Musgrave, and Tucker Kraft all playing their second season in the offense. Each of them would be fine candidates as well for second-year players that are ready to explode in 2024.
However, Brooks showed plenty of potential and put up decent numbers despite playing just 34.2% of defensive snaps.
Karl Brooks Showed Promise for the Green Bay Packers in 2023
Last season, the only defensive lineman on the Packers’ roster that played fewer snaps on defense than Brooks was his fellow rookie Colby Wooden. Despite this, Brooks finished tied for fifth on the team with 4.0 sacks. He also tied for fourth with six tackles for loss.
According to PFF, Brooks also had 30 pressures last season, which ranked fifth on the roster behind Rashan Gary and Kenny Clark (66 each), Preston Smith (52), and Devonte Wyatt (48).
His 30 pressures ranked much higher than the 16 that fellow nose tackle TJ Slaton recorded, and Slaton received the majority of the snaps at the position.
A new defensive coordinator like Hafley is not going to have the same loyalties as the previous regime did. If Brooks outplays Slaton in training camp, he could indeed crack the Packers starting lineup on the defensive line.
Based on his production rate last season, that would be a scary thing for opposing offenses.
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