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Micah Parsons isn’t going to be the only new starter on Green Bay’s defense this year. With the Parsons trade sending former starting nose tackle Kenny Clark to the Dallas Cowboys, the Packers are going to start the year off with Colby Wooden, who has reshaped his body but was listed at 273 pounds at the 2023 scouting combine, as their Week 1 starter at the position.
So how did Wooden look this preseason, his first live action as a nose tackle? I’m glad you asked. Here’s a cut-up of all his nose tackle run snaps this preseason. Included were all snaps from a 2i position (inside the guard) to a true 0 (head up on the center). The quickest way to find him in these clips is by finding the center. Wooden is the closest defensive tackle to him.
Last year, PFF gave Wooden a 47.8 overall grade with a 46.5 overall defensive grade, but the 24-year-old seems to have taken a step forward. As a reminder, Wooden was mostly a three-technique defensive tackle last year, lining up on the outside shoulder of the guard. After Clark and T.J. Slaton, the next nose tackle up for the 2024 Packers was actually Karl Brooks, who seems to be back full-time at three-technique behind new starter Devonte Wyatt.
There are still some ups and downs in Wooden’s film. There are times when he plays too high and gets pushed off the ball, but there’s absolutely potential there for Green Bay, especially with how quickly he moves laterally for an NFL nose tackle. You be the judge, though.
