At first glance, Colby Wooden looks like a dubious fit within the defensive scheme run by the Green Bay Packers. The Packers defense tends to prioritize pass defense in how its personnel is deployed, playing with light boxes and asking its trench players to control multiple gaps. Wooden, who measured in at around 280 pounds during his last college season – and less than 275 pounds at the NFL Combine – is not the type of large, stout, gap-eating lineman that seems necessary to run a light-box defense. However, does that mean he can’t fit within the Fangio/Staley-style scheme that the Packers employ?
Despite the early impressions that his lighter weight could convey, there certainly is a role that Wooden can fill in the Packers defense. In fact, multiple iterations of the Fangio/Staley defensive trees have employed similarly light defensive linemen as important components to their scheme. Perhaps the most successful example is Justin Smith, a 285-pound defensive lineman who provided outstanding interior play for Vic Fangio’s 49ers defenses. Of course, Smith was a borderline-dominant presence for years. Colby Wooden doesn’t appear to possess the same elite play strength Smith displayed, and it seems unfair to hold Wooden to such high expectations.
Luckily, there are other examples of lighter defensive tackles succeeding in the Fangio scheme. Morgan Fox, who is listed anywhere between 260 lbs. and 275 lbs. depending on the source, has played extensively for Brandon Staley. Fox recorded a then-career-high 6 sacks in Staley’s 2020 Rams defense, then, after spending a year with the Panthers, achieved a 6.5-sack year with Staley’s Chargers in 2022.
Dre’mont Jones, at 281 lbs., is perhaps a better comparison for Colby Wooden based on Wooden’s reported playing weight in college (and the weight that he allegedly returned to after the Combine.) In addition, both Jones and Wooden have 33 3/4″ arms, while Morgan Fox only has 31 3/4″ arms. Jones played for Vic Fangio in 2019, 2020, and 2021 before the Broncos hired Ejiro Evero, a Staley disciple. Jones recorded 22 sacks – including 6.5 in 2022 – and 28 TFLs in that time frame, and received a hefty payday from Seattle in the 2023 offseason.
So, how can the roles that Fox and Jones filled in 2022 provide clues regarding Wooden’s usage?
Morgan Fox’s 2022 Role
With the Chargers in 2022, Morgan Fox saw relatively specific usage on early downs. Staley rarely deployed him in early-down four-man fronts, preferring to use the Chargers’ larger defensive linemen for these formations. Fox mostly played in five-man packages – such as base 3-4 formations or Penny nickel fronts- where he aligned as a 4i, 3t, or 5t. In addition, Staley frequently played Fox on the weak side – away from tight ends – to minimize the chances of a double-team affecting him. Put in these positions, Fox was able to focus on slanting to disrupt the run game or stacking and shedding single blocks, such as in this clip, where he aligns as the 3t away from the tight end.
There were certainly times Fox played in less advantageous alignments, such as a 3t in a nickel 4-2-5 front. However, Staley often played him in these situations on certain down-and-distances, such as second and 8 or longer, where a passing play was more probable and a larger gain on the ground was less likely to lead to a 3rd and short.
Fox’s lighter frame may have made it necessary to “protect” him in some situations, but his presence on the field also brought greater disruption on stunts and more effective pass-rush on base downs. He proved to be a disruptive pass-rusher on first and second down, giving the Chargers defense more opportunities to get offenses behind the sticks.
His pass-rush ability was also heavily featured on third downs, where the Chargers often lined him up on the interior and let him use an extensive toolset of rush moves to affect quarterbacks.
Dre’mont Jones’ 2022 Role
In many ways, the role Dre’mont Jones played for the Broncos in 2022 was similar to that Fox filled for the Chargers. Jones usually aligned as a 3t, 4i or 5t – often on the weak side, especially against heavier offensive formations. Ejiro Evero frequently played Jones in five-man fronts, where he received fewer double-teams in the run game.
Jones did see more action on the strong side of formations than Fox did, usually as a 5t or 4t in five-man Under fronts. In these positions, he was able to use his length, quickness and disruptive ability to defeat tackles. Aligning in a 4t (head up on the tackle) also made it harder for guards to get good angles and meaningful movement when they attempted to help their tackles double-team Jones. While not as technically proficient and consistently impactful as an early-down pass-rusher compared to Fox, Jones (#93) still added value through his disruptive ability in the run game.
Jones saw a number of snaps as a 3t in four man fronts, but these usually only came when opposing offenses were turning to heavy shotgun usage or light personnel packages.
Like Morgan Fox, Jones was a major presence on pass-rush downs, lining up both with his hand in the dirt and as a standup rusher. He was not able to cleanly win as consistently as Fox, but still proved disruptive and impactful, using his strength and explosion to win on stunts and power rushes.
Conclusion
While neither Fox nor Jones provide consistent game-breaking ability as interior defensive linemen, both are highly useful players. Fox’s pass-rushing skills boosted the Chargers defense on both base downs and third downs, and he managed to contribute useful snaps against the run when put in advantageous positions. Jones, though not the early-down pass-rush presence that Fox is, helped the Broncos defense become one of the best in the league by leveraging his quickness and length to disrupt the run game as a 3t, 4i, 4t, and 5t. In addition, he proved disruptive and productive when called upon as a third down pass-rusher.
Colby Wooden’s role for the 2022 Packers defense could involve similar usages. Putting him in advantageous schematic alignments and situations could help mitigate any problems his lighter weight might create against the run. It will likely be in the Packers’ best interest to use him frequently in five-man fronts – something that has already been happening in Green Bay’s minicamp practices – while trying to keep him in weak side alignments.
It’s unlikely that Wooden will provide the type of immediate impact that Morgan Fox can as an early-down pass-rusher, so Wooden’s usage may end up closer to that of Jones. Leveraging Wooden’s athleticism and length to win one-on-ones or generate disruption in the run game, while inserting him for a number of snaps in designated pass-rush situations, seems like a good way to utilize the young defensive lineman. Although it may be an uphill battle for the fourth-round rookie, there’s an established style of usage in the Fangio/Staley tree of defenses that could help him succeed despite his size.
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