The Green Bay Packers made 11 picks during the 2022 NFL draft: six offensive players and five defensive players. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be going through and reviewing the 2022 season for all of the Packers’ rookies.
Next up: interior defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt, the 28th overall pick and the Packers’ second of two first-round draft picks in 2022:
Snap counts
As the Packers have done in the past, bringing Wyatt along slowly was a big part of their development plan for the rookie defensive lineman. He finished the season with 224 defensive snaps, or just 21.6% of the total defensive snaps played. It wasn’t until Dean Lowry was placed on IR late in the season that Wyatt’s role increased, with him playing 90 snaps over the final three games. Wyatt was also on the field for 22 special teams snaps, either on the punt return or field goal blocking units.
Season stats
According to PFF, Wyatt finished the season with eight pressures, two of which were sacks. He also had 13 total tackles, and five stops, or plays that constitute a loss for the offense. While working with a small sample size, Wyatt did flash as a pass rusher, and finished the season ranked 36th among all interior defensive linemen in pass rush win rate. He also had the highest win rate from the 2022 rookie class of the defensive linemen who played at least 100 snaps. Against the run, however, he ranked 171st in run-stop rate. The Packers tried to get Wyatt on the field specifically in passing situations.
PFF grade
Among interior defensive linemen who were on the field for at least 180 total snaps this season, Wyatt finished with the 30th-best overall grade from PFF. Against the run, he ranked 52nd in grade, 34th in tackling, and 29th as a pass rusher. Out of the rookie class, Wyatt trailed only fellow first-round pick Jordan Davis in overall grade and had the best pass rush grade of the 11 qualified defenders.
Best game
Week 16 against Miami is where Lowry would suffer a calf injury that would end his season, which resulted in more opportunities for Wyatt. In that game, he logged two of his eight pressures on the season, including a quarterback hit, and he also came away with a stop against the run and a tackle. One of Wyatt’s pressures came at an important moment in that game came, with Miami moving the ball and in Green Bay territory in the third quarter. On a third down play, Wyatt was able to pressure the quarterback, which led to a throwaway and, eventually, a missed field goal.
Season recap, future outlook
When watching Wyatt, two things about his game immediately jump off the screen – his hustle and his athleticism. Based on defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery’s comments late in the season, Wyatt didn’t see as much playing time because he was blocked by Kenny Clark and Jarran Reed, who were the go-to options on passing downs for the Packers. There was also an adjustment that came with making the leap from college to the NFL. With that said, I do think the Packers missed an opportunity to get Wyatt more snaps early on in the season by having him take some of Lowry’s pass rush opportunities. Lowry is more of a run defender than a pass rusher but had nearly 200 pass-rush snaps this season.
Looking ahead, Wyatt’s role should increase quite a bit in his second season. The Packers find themselves a bit thin at the interior defensive line position, with Reed and Lowry both hitting free agency. They’ll add to the room, of course, but Wyatt taking a big step forward will be a must, and this includes not only against the pass but as a run defender as well. During the Packers’ four-game win streak and when the defense was playing their best football, the play of the interior defensive line was a big part of that success. This group was able to generate more consistent pressure and held up much better against the run. As we look for ways that this defense as a whole can improve in 2023, as is often the case, improved play in the trenches can go a long way in accomplishing that.
“He’s going to be a really good player in this league,” said Jerry Montgomery. “And again, you’re learning a system. Things are new to you, calls are different, there’s a lot of adjustments. The more comfortable you get with something, the better you get at it. That’s why all of a sudden, you see a huge jump from Year 1 to Year 2, and then Year 3 from Year 2. So like I said, I think he’s got a bright future, I think he’s going to do some really great things, and I think he will be solid in the run game too.”
Season grade
It’s tough to give Wyatt a grade because he saw such little playing time. On the one hand, credit to him for taking advantage of the opportunities that he had over the course of the season. Wyatt is an exciting player and can be an additional disruptive presence against the pass – something the Packers very much need. But on the flip side, a healthy first-round pick playing roughly 20% of the defensive snaps isn’t ideal either.
Grade: C
