Green Bay Packers rookie edge rusher Kingsley “JJ” Enagbare wasn’t turning a lot of heads through the first couple of weeks of training camp. However, that changed when the fifth-rounder took the field against the San Francisco 49ers in the preseason and was one of the team’s standout performers on defense.
Enagbare totaled one sack and a team-high three pressures in 45 snaps. A performance like this may not mean a whole lot against a backup offensive line, but after being on the outside looking in at Green Bay’s outside linebacker rotation, it was a step in the right direction.
The Packers have their two starters in Rashan Gary and Preston Smith. After them, it’s Jonathan Garvin, Tipa Galeai, La’Darius Hamilton, and Enagbare fighting to be the primary backups on the depth chart.
Enagbare is the youngest in the group. Before arriving in Green Bay, he had a strong collegiate career at the University of South Carolina. Unfortunately, a poor showing at the combine caused Enagbare to slip into day three of the NFL draft.
Enagbare may not be an elite tester, but he proved to have some very coachable skills while playing for the Gamecocks. That was enough for the Packers, who needed to add to their outside linebacker room after releasing Za’Darius Smith in the offseason.
Of course, one preseason game isn’t going to set the world on fire. It’s mostly backups playing against other backups, but in Enagbare’s case, these are valuable reps he can use to hone his craft. The important thing is that football is back, and now we have some film to review in our return to the Packers film room. Without further ado, let’s do a breakdown of Engabare’s tape against the 49ers.
Solid reps all round to defend this outside run pic.twitter.com/xNvJnl2cwo
— Brandon Carwile (@PackerScribe) August 13, 2022
Enagbare wasn’t a great run defender at South Carolina, but reps like this are encouraging. In this play, he’s our edge rusher on the left side of the screen doing a good job of funneling this outside run call back to the middle. Enagbare displays good technique to widen out toward the sideline even as he takes on a couple of blocks. He doesn’t make the tackle, but his ability to maintain proper leverage and set the edge gives the running back nowhere to go, so his help can finish the play for no gain.
Enagbare showing some good knock back power while Slaton wins on an inside rush as the 3-tech using a club-rip. Together, they collapse the left side of the offensive line.
Positive sign of depth for the #Packers dline. pic.twitter.com/ooFjJj20sR
— Brandon Carwile (@PackerScribe) August 14, 2022
Enagbare’s strength is one of his best assets. Again he is the edge rusher on the left side of the screen, but this time he is showing some legit knockback power on a bull rush to push the left tackle back into the quarterback. His pad level, hand placement, and leg drive are all positive things you want to see out of a rookie.
The bull rush is a favorite of Enagbare’s. pic.twitter.com/SukwENwSfL
— Brandon Carwile (@PackerScribe) August 14, 2022
Another bull rush but against a bigger, longer left tackle. Enagbare takes a good arc off the edge and showcases a powerful punch on another bull rush as he knocks the left tackle off balance. It opens up a clear lane to the quarterback, who tries to spin out of the pocket, but Enagbare is able to get a hand on him for the sack. Enagbare clearly has some legit power in his hands.
Love Enagbare’s motor pic.twitter.com/eT96wjtnae
— Brandon Carwile (@PackerScribe) August 14, 2022
Here is a different type of pass rush with Enagbare as the looper on a stunt. The guard is slow to pick up on the stunt, but the center shows good recognition to slide over in protection. Enagbare fights through the initial punch and shows solid balance to stay on his feet and continue to chase after the quarterback. He doesn’t get the sack, but he does get the pressure and a hit on the QB.
Enagbare was making plays in the pass and run game. This run call was away from his side of the field, but he comes up with the tackle. pic.twitter.com/R7VOwrJZJn
— Brandon Carwile (@PackerScribe) August 14, 2022
We’ll finish off with another run play. This was one of Enagbare’s two tackles from the game, and it came from the backside. The run call is away from his side of the field, but he shows good pursuit to get back into the play to make the tackle. Also, this type of effort could give Enagbare value on special teams.
In conclusion, there were plenty of positive takeaways from Enagbare’s preseason debut. He flashed good play strength as a pass rusher and even looked good against the run despite having some issues in college. Overall, he probably won’t play a huge role in 2022 but could be a solid backup with plenty of upside down the road.
