The 2025 defensive tackle free agency class doesn't bring much meaningful conversation to the table to help the Green Bay Packers improve their front four, but the 2025 draft class is primed to set them up with a difference-maker should Green Bay look that way early.

The Packers' defense was leaps and bounds more effective in their first year under defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, and they did it all without anyone across their front four playing at an elite level.

Elite play or not, the Packers' defense still ranked in the top ten for both rushing success rate allowed and pass rush win rate from the interior defensive line. But as much as the Packers' defense improved and played well in the scheme across the board, the individual contributions graded out as PFF's ninth-lowest team run defense grade, and Devonte Wyatt leading the interior linemen with five sacks was tied for ninth-lowest to lead a team at DT.

To summarize, the Packers are good along the defensive front but not great. The difference and talent gap is evident when watching teams with true disruptors up the middle.

A big issue for the Packers was their inability to establish a menacing presence up the middle. There was no dominating, keep-a-coach-up-at-night player anchoring the defensive line.

Sure, Wyatt and Karl Brooks both had nice seasons in terms of generating pressure despite splitting snaps with five total interior linemen. And sure, TJ Slaton is a titanic presence in run defense, even though it feels unlikely Green Bay would bring him back next season due to upgrades they can make in the draft. Even Kenny Clark contributed more down the stretch and his ability to work double teams is still highly valuable, as seen by his being the eighth most double-teamed defensive tackle in football last season.

But without a complete player leading the way, the Packers are left with four players who are really only strong in one phase of the game right now. 

Clark has long been that anchor, but entering his age 30 season, and as seen by many top defensive tackles hanging it up in their early 30s, it's more than likely his best days are behind him.

However, there is still a lot to be excited about what the Packers' front four can accomplish in 2025 simply by adding a premier defensive tackle via the draft.

For starters, Clark is not going anywhere before next season unless he ends up being an outlandishly surprising roster cut. It wouldn't make sense for the Packers to move off him until next offseason, and there's next to no chance any team will trade for his contract, age, and production.

Clark's starting again next season is inevitable, with no other player along the defensive line playing well enough yet to demote him.

More encouragingly, from the Packers' week 10 bye and on, Clark flipped a switch in run defense, leading the Packers' front with 13 stops and stringing together seven of his best-graded games of the season. Despite posting one of his worst seasons, he offered plenty of optimism going into 2025 that he can still play the high-quality football he was recently paid to. That all said, the clock is ticking, and the Packers lack a meaningful contingency plan to replace Clark as early as the 2026 season when they can safely get out of his contract.

As for Wyatt, he seemed to have taken a step forward in his pass rush and ability to finish plays to start the 2024 season before a week four injury that sidelined him for three weeks. However, from week 12 and on, he played arguably his best football of the season, albeit not playing anywhere near a starter-level snap count. 

In that seven-game stretch, Wyatt's pass rush and run defense were both the most consistent on a week-to-week basis in his career. He added 20 pressures and a four-week stretch of posting at least a 72.1 PFF defensive grade, including taking it to the Vikings in week 17 with an 88.3 pass-rush grade and 91.8 total defense grade.

Karl Brooks also had a nice season for the Packers despite being third or fourth in the snaps pecking order, depending on the game script. Brooks finished with four sacks but only had three games with a sack. That said, he's remained a reliable tackler and was consistent week-to-week with his pass rush.

All in all, the Packers have three interior defensive linemen who make strong compliments, and part of the problem could just be that they just need to give their best players more snaps.

Realistically, they all improved down the stretch as Hafley's scheme developed and are all entering 2025 with positive momentum. However, each still raises a fair level of concern about whether any can be "the guy" who takes the Packers' front four to the next level, which they need to get to.

While no rookie, no matter where they're drafted, is a sure bet to work out, the Packers in the back half of the first round will be sitting comfortably in a position to land one of the top defensive tackles in a rarely strong top-of-class at the position.

Any of Walter Nolan, Derrick Harmon, or Kenneth Grant are players who can come in with a "complete" skill set to instantly add value to the Packers front.

In an ideal world, the Packers would be able to situationally phase in a rookie throughout the season and set up for him to take over as the starting defensive tackle in 2026. Which, not only are most of the top defensive tackles in football first-round picks, but most also take very similar paths to stardom in their first two seasons.

Worst case, that rookie exhibits a level of play that no one else is providing and starts consuming more snaps en route to quickly being the menacing force Green Bay is missing. Pivoting to building the front around that player for the remainder of the season if it becomes obvious, similar to Edgerrin Cooper, that the rookie needs more snaps. 

Best case, the Packers' current front with Clark, Wyatt, and Brooks continues the positive regular season momentum, and the Packers upgrade Slaton's snaps with a rookie who brings far more upside in all phases.

Either way, the Packers set themselves up next season to be a greater force up the middle simply by adding a premier talent from a stacked DT class. The move also sets them up to be set at the position for the next decade, regardless of who the running mate is.

Again, no one is a sure bet to work out. But the odds are in the Packers' favor this year if they take up an opportunity to capture a top talent who projects to be an immediate starter at a position that no one is dominating for Green Bay.

Snaps might again be spread across four interior defensive linemen, but that strategy was also part of a top-ten Packers' defense last season and a drastically improved run defense despite no stand-out performances up front.

However, settling for modest individual contributions in a strong scheme is how average teams stay average.

Adding a player who projects to quickly be the best of the Packers' defensive tackle group would go a long way toward making a good group a great one.