In drafting Stanford’s Blake Martinez in the fourth round, the Packers set themselves up for a three-man competition for two starting spots. Martinez will take on incumbents Jake Ryan and Sam Barrington. However, Martinez would seem to have an advantage, considering his extensive background as a coverage linebacker.
There is, of course, the option the Packers could use two of the three guys in their base defense and a different combination in their sub-packages. What would Packers coach Mike McCarthy prefer?
One guy who’s a three-down linebacker. McCarthy was asked if a three-down linebacker is necessary.