The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2023 NFL draft.
A team can never have enough talented pass rushers and the Green Bay Packers are in dire need of more playmakers off the edge.
With Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, and Kingsley “JJ” Enagbare the Packers have a solid trio on paper. Gary will likely miss the beginning of the upcoming season as he recovers from a torn ACL. Smith will be 31 in November and could be playing in his final season in Green Bay. Enagbare proved to be a solid rotational piece.
Add it all up and the Packers need to add an edge rusher or two this offseason. Luckily for the Packers, the 2023 NFL Draft is loaded with talented edge rushers.
A player that Brian Gutekunst could target on day three of the upcoming draft is Eku Leota. The Auburn edge rusher checks in at No. 55 in the Unpacking Future Packers countdown.
The @seniorbowl is looking live at @AuburnFootball vs. @MizzouFootball. We posted All-22 🧵on Auburn’s Eku Leota this week and here’s up-close look at one of most underrated prospects in ‘23 draft. One longtime NFL scout told us @ekuleota reminds him of #Titans HC Mike Vrabel. pic.twitter.com/j1ABR4TwfB
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) September 24, 2022
A three-star recruit out of North Carolina, Leota finished his time at Asheville High School as the school’s all-time leader in sacks.
Leota started his collegiate career at Northwestern, where he recorded 10 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.
During his first season at Auburn, Leota recorded 10 tackles for loss and seven sacks. In the first four games this season, Leota recorded 16 tackles, five tackles for loss, and four sacks. He appeared to be poised for a monster season before suffering a torn pectoral muscle early in Auburn’s matchup against LSU.
“He was off to a great start,” Justin Hokanson, Auburn’s reporter for On3.com said. “He had a pair of sacks and five tackles for loss in the first four games. He was injured at the very beginning of the fifth game against LSU and was lost for the season. He was poised for a really good season. When Leota transferred to Auburn, he didn’t arrive until the summer and really didn’t get started until essentially the fall before the 2021 season. Heading into the 2022 season, he went through spring, summer and fall, so he was poised to be a difference maker.”
Leota is a well-put-together edge rusher. He’s 6-3, 252 pounds with good length. He’s got a quick first step off the snap and burst to win the corner against offensive tackles. He has active hands and does a good job of converting speed to power.
.@AuburnFootball Eku Leota didn’t get any sacks vs. Penn State but he forced two holding calls and had 7.0 sacks last year in Big Ten. @ekuleota is one of those flexible rushers that just looks good coming out of his stance. Legit NFL get-off & he’ll test well too.#BestoftheBest pic.twitter.com/yEWQWndmwF
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) September 22, 2022
During the first four games this season, Leota recorded 15 pressures and generated three pressures before exiting the game against LSU.
“I think his raw strength and his general attitude and approach,” Hokanson said. “He’s really strong and uses that in rushing the passer, and he’s a good kid with a great attitude, willing to learn and be a good teammate.”
Leota holds his ground against the run out on the edge. He has the length to get into the chest of blockers and does a good job of getting off blocks. He has the quickness to get inside and disrupt the action in the backfield. The Northwestern transfer has good pursuit speed as a backside defender and his motor is always running.
Eku Leota is a day three edge rusher for Packers fans to remember.
Leota suffered a torn pec early against LSU this past season.
In the four games before he got hurt: five TFL, two sacks, and 15 pressures. The Northwestern transfer seemed poised for a big season. pic.twitter.com/RyqaoQyJzO
— Brennen Rupp (@Brennen_Rupp) March 6, 2023
“That’s to be determined,” Hokanson said. “Nearly a third of Leota’s total tackles in 2021 were sacks, and nearly half were tackles for loss. It was a bit of feast or famine as he adjusted from the Big Ten to the SEC. We didn’t get to see Leota become that complete player in 2022 because of the injury. He’s tough, but might need a little bit of lower body weight to help stand his ground.”
Fit with the Packers
The Packers need to add an edge rusher or two in the upcoming draft as they look to bolster their pass rush.
Leota could step in from day one and give the Packers a quality depth piece on the edge. He’s strong at the point of attack against the run and has the tools in the shed to develop into more than a rotational piece.
.@AuburnFootball senior Eku Leota projects best as odd-front OLB as a pro. Dependable edge-setter with 34 1/2 inch arms and enough closing speed & range to finish in space vs. perimeter runs. Has frame and athleticism to be good core ST player in NFL.#TheDraftStartsInMOBILE™️ pic.twitter.com/UcSn6XajB1
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) September 22, 2022
“First, he’s a hard worker and a great teammate,” Hokanson said. “His personality and approach to the game add value to his stock. Then of course, he’s talented and has the frame and foundations to become a super reliable player in the NFL. I think Leota has a high ceiling and what we saw at Northwestern and briefly at Auburn is only scratching the surface of what he can become.”
Injuries are part of the game and if it weren’t for a season-ending injury that Leota suffered this season, he could have earned all-conference honors and put up career numbers for the Tigers.
With his length, quickness, and ability to set the edge, Leota could be an attractive day-three target for the Packers as they look to bolster their pass rush and shore up their run defense.
