Ranking the Rooms: NFC North Linebackers

CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 22: Danny Trevathan
CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 22: Danny Trevathan
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CLEVELAND, OH – DECEMBER 10: DeShone Kizer #7 of the Cleveland Browns talks to Jake Ryan #47 of the Green Bay Packers at the end of a 27-21 Packers’ overtime win at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 10, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – DECEMBER 10: DeShone Kizer #7 of the Cleveland Browns talks to Jake Ryan #47 of the Green Bay Packers at the end of a 27-21 Packers’ overtime win at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 10, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

3. Packers: Jake Ryan, Blake Martinez, Oren Burks, Kendall Donnerson

It took the Green Bay Packers a long time, but it finally looks as if they are starting to figure out their two linebackers in the middle. Jake Ryan is a proven commodity in the NFL when he is healthy. He can play between the tackles and has some experience in space as well. The question with him has been health. He has 22 starts in the past two seasons. On the field, he can be a quality starter.

Blake Martinez was finally healthy for 16 games last season for the first time in his career. It led to 142 tackles in what is considered a breakout season. With Martinez and Ryan on the field together, the Packers finally have something.

The question is what happens when someone goes off of the field? Oren Burks is a mid round rookie from Vanderbilt. Donnerson a rookie from round 7. It is tough to have expectations or thoughts about the depth at this point in time. While Ryan and Martinez certainly push the unit over Detroit, they are not in the talks to be any higher.

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