Pass runner Rashan Gary looks to be entering his prime with the Green Bay Packers.

Gary, a 6-foot-5, 277-pound athletic marvel, has just finished a game in which he completely turned the Packers’ defense upside down. Green Bay (6-1) defeated the Washington football team (2-5) to claim their sixth straight victory.

As quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdowns and linebacker De’Vondre Campbell led the team with 13 tackles and two forced fumbles, Gary’s presence was most notable for Green Bay.

The 2019 first-round pick finished second for the team in tackles with seven, and he had two sacks, four quarterback hits and a forced fumble.

Watching Gary play football is a treat for those who appreciate the combination of energy, heart and extreme talent. Every NFL player has at least one of these traits, but few players have all three like Gary does.

That’s why Green Bay drafted him 12th overall in 2019, and that’s why the Packers have been patient with his development.

It’s starting to pay off.

Rashan Gary was a standout player for the Michigan Wolverines, but he was nothing like what we see with the Green Bay Packers

Gary was a big deal as a college football player for the Michigan Wolverines, and that was in large part due to his five-star rookie status. Gary was the No. 1 player in the 2016 class, according to 247Sports, which meant he was considered the best college football rookie in America.

This was a recruiting class that included players like Nick Bosa, AJ Brown and Ed Oliver, so the fact that he was unanimously ranked No.1 was a big deal. It was also a huge deal for Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines that he decided to go to Ann Arbor.

Due to his size and strength, Gary was considered a defensive end in Michigan’s plan. He was asked to use his strength to put the advantage against the run and face blockers for the linebackers behind him. Here’s how Detroit Free Press’s Nick Baumgardner described Gary’s role in Michigan in 2018:

On the court, you could say Gary spent three years playing out of position at Michigan. He won’t be an equal defensive end in the NFL. The 6-foot-5, 287-pound will be a three-technique defensive tackle to the next level if he’s in a 4-3. If he plays in a three-way front, it will be an end.

In Michigan, he was a strong passer, a position that Greg Mattison and Don Brown call “anchor,” whose responsibility was – above all else – to put the advantage on the strong side of the field to allow others around him. the possibility of playing games. The rush for passes from this spot is usually done through chips coming from full backs and tight ends or doubles teams.

Due to the fact that Michigan played him in a position that didn’t necessarily use his athleticism, Gary’s numbers in college were underwhelming.

He played three seasons with the Wolverines and walked away with 119 total tackles, 23 tackles for a loss and 9.5 sacks.

Baumgardner was right that Michigan had underused him. He was wrong to project that Gary would be a defensive end in a 3-4 NFL defense.

The Packers saw Gary’s size and athleticism and immediately saw an outside linebacker rushing for the passes, and they took the opportunity to draft it with their best pick in years.

Green Bay has been patient with Gary’s development

The Packers picked the perfect time to take a development rusher. That may not have been the case for the fans, who are still clamoring for an ‘immediate impact player’, especially at Green Bay, but general manager Brian Gutekunst has had enough foresight to see the huge cap on Gary. He also knew that it would take time and practice for Gary to reach that ceiling,

Gary heading to Green Bay via the draft was perfectly in sync with the signings of veteran pass rushers to Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith, the “Smith Brothers” as they have become known in Green Bay. While learning a whole new position, Gary was able to come off the bench and be a situational passer behind the Smiths. They took him under his wing and took his development seriously.

Za’Darius Smith’s overall production in Green Bay was an incredible surprise, as he almost immediately became a star player. His tutelage of Gary was arguably just as important to the Packers, however. Especially now, with the star passing thrower sidelined with a back injury, having a player like Gary who has been developed and prepared to ultimately fill his shoes has been great for the Packers. Without realizing it, Za’Darius may have trained his replacement, but that’s a topic for another time.

Although Gary made progress, it was a slow progression. It didn’t surprise the Packers, although it did upset some fans who couldn’t see the big picture.

Gary ended his rookie season with just two sacks and three quarterback hits. He scored five sacks and 11 quarterback hits in 2020.

Gary’s third season was expected to be his breakthrough year, and so far everything has been going well on that front for Green Bay.

Gary looks like an emerging star for Green Bay

The Packers must be extremely happy with Gary’s growth in 2021, especially with so many injuries plaguing the Green Bay defense.

He’s been a constant presence for Green Bay for seven games, and most notably, he’s been more than a passer. Gary has grown into a versatile linebacker. He’s good at putting the race ahead and he’s one of the Packers’ best tackles. He’s also one of the elite looking for a running back out of the backfield or a passing quarterback. The Packers even play him as a blitz inside linebacker in some packages.

The thing about this fully formed version of Gary is that he’s the type of player who makes an impact far beyond the score in the box. He’s constantly aiming the ball at his teammates, and even when he’s not coming home on the pass rush, he’s almost always under tremendous pressure on the quarterback. In fact, he was ranked 9th in the league in quarterback hits before the game against Washington, and that’s a list he will progress to after the game.

Gary now has 3.5 sacks, 15 quarterback hits and a forced fumble this season. He is quickly becoming the outside linebacker the Packers envisioned when they drafted him. He is now the type of player he was not allowed to be in Michigan.

His impact for the Packers is far more than precipitation stats, but they are increasing rapidly.

Statistics courtesy of ESPN and Pro Football Reference.

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