Vince Biegel could become big part of Packers defense

Former Wisconsin Badger Vince Biegel looks set to be part of a revamped Green Bay Packers defense in 2018.

Vince Biegel is living every Wisconsin child’s dream. He played for the Badgers and got drafted to the Green Bay Packers and now has a great chance to play. The Packer defense has seen better days, but it’s players like Biegel who are going to it help reach success.

Biegel missed most of last year with a  foot injury. When he came back in week eight of the regular season he was playing catch up, since he had missed basically every preseason opportunity to work with the team, and struggled to settle into a role. He finished the year with 10 tackles.

This year is a different story for Biegel. The fourth-round pick from 2017 has a clean bill of health and is finally ready to contribute. The Packers showed a huge sign of trust in Biegel as well by not drafting anybody at his position in April, despite it being a weakness on the team.

Clay Matthews and Nick Perry are veterans at the group, but beyond those two there isn’t much experience. Nick Perry is currently on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list making way for Biegel to claim some playing time.

We haven’t seen much of Biegel on the football field since his time in Madison, but he’s expected to do much of the same in the NFL as he did in college. His best skills are translatable as they’re mostly based on effort and attitude. His draft profile suggested he needed to get stronger and develop more technique, but his ceiling is easily reachable because of how hard he plays and how much he loves to compete. His two biggest weaknesses are teachable. His motor is not. It’s a good thing to already have.

The Packers will be running a new defensive scheme under Mike Pettine this year so it’s unclear what anybody’s role will be on the defense. Biegel’s strengths weren’t in rushing the passer, but he may have developed that over the offseason. Biegel can be counted on best to help in the run game and make smart plays limiting the opposing offense. With a potentially serious injury to inside linebacker Jake Ryan, Biegel could be in line to take some snaps there too.

Expect to see Biegel on the field a lot in Green Bay despite his inexperience. The coaching staff clearly trusted he would be ready to contribute in 2018 and he’ll be given every chance to.