1/28. Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia (7, 8): The main issue is Wyatt’s behavioral problems, the fact that the Packers were willing to gamble taking them on and if or when they might reoccur. Of the five teams I surveyed after the draft, two said Wyatt was off their board because of character concerns, two said he was on their board and the decision-maker for the fifth team said it didn’t make any difference where Wyatt was on their board because he wouldn’t have taken him, anyway.
“He was a high risk,” the decision-maker said. “There’s a lot behind the curtain with this guy. They certainly are taking a swing.”
In a 2020 domestic episode, police in Clarke County, Ga., said Wyatt kicked the door of a woman’s dorm room multiple times “damaging the door and forcing it open.” Police classified the incident as “family violence” because Wyatt lived with the woman at times.
Another team hired a private investigator that discovered an incident in which Wyatt discharged a handgun into the air several times outside a pizza place where his girl friend worked before police were summoned. The team said Wyatt had three episodes of violence that caused them to remove him from consideration.
“It’s more like domestic disturbance and anger management with this guy,” a representative of the team said. “He doesn’t have the social skills to cope with adversity. He’s got anger management issues. His personal upbringing and family … he’s a hard dude.”
Thompson made many friends during his 25 years as a member of the NFL scouting fraternity, including the 13 years in which he directed the Packers’ draft. While not always a paragon of virtue when it came to bringing players to the NFL’s smallest city, Thompson wouldn’t have drafted Wyatt if he were still alive and in the role as Packers GM, two of his friends in personnel maintained.
Gutekunst said Wyatt had a “couple hiccups there at Georgia” and that there were “two or three incidences in which he stubbed his toe.” He added: “We went into that pretty deep with him to make sure we felt comfortable with the human being … he never put his hand on anybody, he never hurt anybody.”
Now the Packers can be expected to allocate abnormal resources within their operation in an attempt to prevent Wyatt from embarrassing management and the staff while also damaging his career.
It was a bad draft for defensive linemen and Wyatt was a clear choice as the top 3-technique. He ran a terrific 40 (4.79) for his size (6-3, 309). Almost every scout said his effort was exceptional. He embraced the physical aspect of football.
Joe Barry, who will be entering his second season as the Packers’ defensive coordinator, played three defensive linemen (300 pounds and up) on 30.6% of the snaps and four big men on 3%. When the Packers have to stop the run, they usually played their base 3-4 front with Dean Lowry, Kenny Clark and either the departed Tyler Lancaster or T.J. Slaton in three-point stances.
Despite having solid strength, there are differences of opinion just how stout Wyatt will be against the run. Everyone agrees that his best work will come on the move. One scout said Wyatt tends to play on his toes, which makes him vulnerable to double-team blocks in the run game.
Wyatt was drafted in the first round largely on his ability to explode off the ball and penetrate gaps. Yet, in 49 games (25 starts), he managed just 12 tackles for loss and five sacks. He disrupted more than he finished.
Besides the questions regarding his character, Wyatt was drafted 28th largely because of his marginal size, below-average arm length (32 5/8 inches) and poor wingspan (78 ¼ inches). One scout referred to him as an “overgrown linebacker,” the position he played in high school until his junior year in Decatur, Ga.
The Packers certainly envision a pass-rushing front of Rashan Gary and Preston Smith outside with Clark and Wyatt inside.
“It looks outstanding,” one scout said. “You’re physically as talented as anybody you’re going against. You can create some matchup problems for people. Anytime you’ve got a quarterback that can score points or score fast, you’re going to be playing teams that want to pass the ball more.”