Getty J.J. Arcega-Whiteside #19 of the Philadelphia Eagles catches a pass and is tackled by Daylon Mack #94 of the Baltimore Ravens in the second quarter of the preseason game at Lincoln Financial Field on August 22, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Backup is on the way for the Green Bay Packers’ defensive line.
According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, the Packers are signing former Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Daylon Mack, a 2019 fifth-round pick, after he worked out for the team earlier this week. The 6-foot-1, 340-pound run-stopper was added to the team’s practice squad in a series of roster moves announced Thursday afternoon.
The Packers still have one spot remaining on their 53-man active roster.
The Packers are signing DT Daylon Mack, the former fifth-round pick of the Ravens in 2019, a source told ESPN. He will fill the open roster spot. He worked out for the team on Monday and has been going through COVID testing. He played in just one game… t.co/fsKiCb5azC
Mack played just nine defensive snaps last year as a rookie before a knee injury landed him on injured reserve in November, but it still came as a surprise when the Ravens cut him ahead of their first 2020 training camp practice. His release seemed to boil down to a surplus of defensive line depth for Baltimore, which acquired Calais Campbell and Derek Wolfe as support pieces for star Brandon Williams this offseason along with third-round pick Justin Madubuike.
Green Bay doesn’t have nearly the same overcrowding problem with their defensive line, as Mack gives the Packers just two healthy backups on their roster behind starters Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry and Tyler Lancaster. The other healthy backup, fellow fifth-rounder Kingsley Keke, started alongside Mack during their time at Texas A&M and was taken just 10 picks ahead of him during the 2019 NFL draft.
The Packers could also have Montravius Adams available in Week 1 against the Vikings, but the 2017 third-round pick was sidelined midway through training camp with a sprained toe and was only given limited work to start the week of practice, per the team’s injury report.
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Mack Hit Like a Truck for Aggies
The Ravens’ quick decision to give up on Mack doesn’t serve as a great review of his abilities at the NFL level, but it would stand to reason the Packers have a good understanding of what he can bring to the table given he was likely scouted right along with Keke in 2019.
Mack was an effective run-stuffer during his four seasons as an Aggie with remarkable burst speed and explosiveness that allowed him to frequently disrupt plays at the line of scrimmage and bully his way into the backfield. A scheme change during his senior also saw him produce career-best numbers with 32 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks over 13 games.
As an example of his power that should hit home with Packers fans, take a look below at Mack absolutely trucking Packers starter Elgton Jenkins, an All-Rookie left guard in 2019, when their rival SEC schools faced each other during their final collegiate seasons.
A&M senior DT Daylon Mack resetting the LOS is a pretty sight… Against Elgton Jenkins too!
Mack and Kingsley didn’t finish as side-by-side partners on the Aggies defensive line with the latter getting pushed out to defensive end as a senior, but the Packers could still find a way to harness the built-in chemistry from their college days, even if only to accelerate Mack’s comprehension of the defense. And if they manage to hit the jackpot, the Packers will have quietly assembled a stout second-year tandem to improve their frontlines.
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