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Who’s the Packers’ best interior lineman this century?
We have our offense set. Our project to define the Green Bay Packers’ All-Quarter Century team rolls on today as we shift our focus to the defense, where we will start up front and in the middle.
First up is the defensive line, where we will be selecting two tackles. For the purposes of this exercise, we’re going to look at interior defensive linemen all together. That means 4-3 defensive tackles and all 3-4 defensive linemen will get lumped into this group, and we will be picking the top two. The same will go for edge rushers (4-3 ends and 3-4 outside linebackers), which will start up later today, and then off-ball linebackers next week.
In addition to two each at those positions, we will have one bonus “front seven flex” spot, with nominees coming from the members of the defensive tackle, edge, and linebacker groups who earned votes but did not quite make the cut.
Of course, the Packers have plenty of options to choose from on the line, but there are surely a few who will rise to the top of the list. Let’s take a look at the nominees.
Regular season stats: 74 games played, 59 starts; 157 total tackles (109 solo, 48 assisted), 32 TFLs, 16.5 sacks, 14 pass defenses, 2 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries
Postseason stats: 6 games played/started; 23 total tackles (17 solo, 6 assisted), 5 TFLs, 1.0 sack, 3 pass defenses, 1 forced fumble
The earliest nominee on our list is a 1999 draft pick, drafted in the third round that year. Hunt was in and out of the starting lineup early in his career, but he settled into a starting role by 2002. A solid interior pass-rusher, Hunt had at least four sacks in three different seasons, serving as the more athletic tackle next to the likes of Grady Jackson and a late-career Gilbert Brown on the nose.
Regular season stats: 93 games played, 66 starts; 194 total tackles (130 solo, 64 assisted), 40 TFLs, 29.0 sacks, 16 pass defenses, 5 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, 1 interception
Postseason stats: 8 games played, 3 starts; 15 total tackles (11 solo, 4 assisted), 5 TFLs, 2.0 sacks, 1 pass defensed
The lesser-known Jenkins brother (Kris was a 2nd-round pick in 2001 and a two-time All-Pro), Cullen signed as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He did not make the team out of training camp, but re-signed after that season and was on the roster to start the 2004 campaign. That season, he played every game, starting six contests and recording 4.5 sacks.
Jenkins bounced in and out of the starting lineup for a few seasons while moving back and forth from tackle to end, but he remained an important piece of the defensive line rotation. In 2007, he started 15 games at defensive end in base defenses with Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila...
