Matt LaFleur reveals how buzz around Devonte Wyatt's 40-yard dash impacted draft stock
The Green Bay Packers loaded up with two former Georgia players in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft a few weeks ago in picking Quay Walker and his teammate Devonte Wyatt. For Wyatt, his blistering 4.77 40-yard dash at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine turned heads and likely made his draft stock jump all the way into the first round. But Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said recently that it all comes down to the game film.
“Yeah, I mean you hear it all, but ultimately it always comes back to the tape and what they’ve done and put on tape. I think that there’s certainly a lot there,” LaFleur said. “I know just getting to know him. We had him up here for a visit. He was super impressive. I know our coaches really, really liked him as well.”
Wyatt’s film did speak for itself at Georgia and Pro Football Focus took note, giving him a 90.3 PFF grade in 2021, ranking him first among all Power Five defensive lineman.
He has the drive to evolve into one of the top players at his position in the entire NFL. Wyatt was dominant at times for Georgia the past few years, accumulating 103 total tackles, 5.0 sacks and two forced fumbles for a loaded Bulldogs squad over four seasons.
A former four-star recruit in the class of 2017, Wyatt was the No. 25 defensive lineman in the nation per the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average. Wyatt played his high school football at Towers in Decatur, Georgia. Continuing, Wyatt began his high school career as a running back and track star, proving his immense athleticism. The versatile defensive lineman improved each season at Georgia, showing there’s high potential with his skillset.
More about Devonte Wyatt
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein broke down what Devonte Wyatt can bring to the NFL in his recent scout of the defensive lineman’s draft profile.
The analyst compared the Georgia product to Maliek Collins, a former third round defensive lineman out of Nebraska who’s was a plug in the middle of the Dallas Cowboys defensive line after the franchise drafted him drafted him 67th overall in the 2016 NFL Draft.
“Highly active defensive tackle with decent strength,” wrote Zierlein. “Wyatt is made for movement and disruptions. He helped himself in 2021 with better tape both against the run and as a pass rusher. His lateral quickness is useful in beating zone blocks and in sliding across the front in a game-based pass rush. Wyatt has adequate strength but struggles to withstand a second blocker. The traits are average, but the effort is consistent and Wyatt should fit nicely as a rotational, gap-seeking three-technique with disruptive flashes.”
On3’s James Fletcher III also contributed to this article.