The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Since the 2012 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers have drafted 12 defensive linemen. There have been home run selections like Mike Daniels and Kenny Clark. Then there have been opposite-field base hits like Dean Lowry. Outside of those three names, there have been a lot of three-pitch strikeouts.
Daniels played seven seasons in Green Bay after being a fourth-round pick out of Iowa in 2012. The former Iowa Hawkeye recorded 29 sacks and 41 tackles for loss during his time in Green Bay.
Clark has developed into one of the best interior defensive linemen in the NFL after being drafted in the first round in 2016.
What Daniels and Clark had in common was their wrestling background. A defensive lineman that has a wrestling background that Brian Gutekunst could target in the upcoming draft is John Ridgeway. The Arkansas defensive tackle checks in at No. 63 in the Unpacking Future Packers countdown.
In 2017, Ridgeway was an Illinois state champion in wrestling. Ridgeway spent four seasons at Illinois State before transferring to Arkansas this fall.
During his lone season at Arkansas, Ridgeway recorded 39 tackles, four tackles for loss, and two sacks.
“Ridgeway is a classic nose tackle type,” Shane Hallam, the managing partner for Draft Countdown, said. “The production numbers don’t quite match the talent he has. Similarly at Illinois State, he wasn’t a stat monster but a 2-gap run stuffer who diverted running backs to other areas. At Arkansas, he was fairly consistent in getting good leverage and moving into interior gaps to stop inside runs. That was generally his job, and he did it well. As he got a bit more comfortable in the defense, we saw his skill set expand.”
At 6-4, 327 pounds, Ridgeway has the size of a prototypical nose tackle. Ridgeway is able to anchor down and eat up double teams. He’s strong at the point of attack and rarely moved off his spot. He’s able to keep linebackers clean, a big reason why his teammates Bumper Pool, Grant Morgan, and Hayden Henry all finished in the Top 10 in the SEC in tackles.
“His ability to shed laterally is pretty special,” Hallam said. “He quickly can get away from a lineman to fill his gap and either make a play or divert the running back to the outside. With pretty long arms, he can also keep linemen off of him and use his range to slow down or tackle the runner.”
Ridgeway has good quickness off the snap. He has the short-area quickness to make plays up and down the line of scrimmage. He has a high motor and shows good range for a man his size.
His wrestling background shows up against the run, where he’s able to get lower than the man across from him. Ridgeway has powerful shoulders and upper body strength to punch and stack blocks.
“He generally does play with good leverage, especially on early downs,” Hallam said. “When he is playing the run, he gets good leverage to be able to disengage well. On passing downs, Ridgeway can get high though since he is trying to get a full head of steam and bull rush in most cases. There were improvements made as the season progressed, but it is generally a strength.”
Ridgeway’s strength is his ability to stuff the run. With his power and quickness off the snap, he’s able to blow up plays in the backfield. He has the potential to be an interior disruptor at the next level.
“It’s his strength to two-gap and stop the run,” Hallam said. “There may be an adjustment in the NFL to shed blocks, but he has shown some great ability against top SEC linemen this year. He has a strong upper body to even bring down bigger runners when off-balance.”
Anything Ridgeway offers as a pass-rusher is gravy. A team will be drafting him to stuff the run and come off the field on passing downs. With his strength, he does have a pretty good bull rush and has the ability to collapse the pocket.
“With only two sacks this season, Ridgeway didn’t show much rushing up the gut,” Hallam said. “One sack was a great play where he was able to rip past an interior offensive lineman, and the other was one the quarterback just held the ball way too long. Ultimately, he won’t rush the passer in the NFL. He isn’t an incredible athlete so there is not much upside to actually getting sacks or hurries. Expect him to be a two-down player.”
Fit with the Packers
The Packers need to get Kenny Clark some help upfront. A player like Ridgeway could provide the Packers with a Greg Gaines-like impact upfront.
Ridgeway could be a plug-and-play starter at nose tackle and allow the Packers to kick Clark outside to the five-tech permanently.
The Packers have cornerstone pieces on defense in place with Jaire Alexander, Rashan Gary, Clark, and Eric Stokes. Now, Gutekunst needs to continue to add pieces around those players. Ridgway could carve out a role as a run-stuffing nose tackle. His presence could help open things up for other players in the front seven.
“If I wanted a run-stuffing specialist, I would consider Ridgeway on day three,” Hallam said. “He could be developed into a two-down starter which would be well worth the pick.”
