Aside from having two new faces, the most obvious change to the outside linebacker unit is an increase in size. At 6-3 and 259 pounds, Brooks serves as a median between starters Clay Matthews (6-3, 255) and Nick Perry (6-3, 265), whose strength to set the edge is far greater than that of Kyler Fackrell and the departed Jayrone Elliott. In that regard the Packers swapped speed and finesse for power and brute strength.
“(San Francisco) moved him all over the place, particularly when (defensive coordinator) Vic Fangio was there,” McCarthy said. “They played him off the ball in the goal line. He’s played more the elephant assignment-wise in our scheme. Has played the outside linebacker position. So I think he’s a heck of a player. He’s someone that I’ve always had a lot of respect for. I thought him and Bryan Bulaga have had some great battles over the years.”
That kind of versatility might also apply to Odom, who will wear jersey No. 98. Though he is listed at 6-4 and 262 pounds, Odom looked far thicker in his debut practice Monday afternoon, especially through the lower body. His frame lends itself to the hybrid elephant position played by Julius Peppers and Datone Jones in recent years — a player with the speed and athleticism to play standing up and the durability to move inside as a sub-package rusher.
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