As a lightly recruited three-star player
Clay Matthews Jersey , Curtis Bolton fought his way through injury and onto the field at Oklahoma. After going undrafted, he just wanted to make a roster. Now he looks like one of the Packers’ starting inside linebackers." Packers Training Camp 2019From trying to make the team to running with the starters, Curtis Bolton is again exceeding expectations As a lightly recruited three-star player, Curtis Bolton fought his way through injury and onto the field at Oklahoma. After going undrafted, he just wanted to make a roster. Now he looks like one of the Packers’ starting inside linebackers.CDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:From trying to make the team to running with the starters, Curtis Bolton is again exceeding expectations TwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailJoe Webb didn’t see No. 40 in green. Or if the Houston Texans third-string quarterback saw the linebacker lurking, he overlooked him. Webb tried to lob a pass over the top, but that linebacker — sporting a number usually reserved for future castoffs — leapt into the air and tipped the ball away. That’s the story of Curtis Bolton’s football journey to this point. Bolton has gone from a lightly recruited high school player to Oklahoma’s special teams maven who earned his way onto the field in the Big 12 to an undrafted free agent now staring a starting linebacker job with the Packers squarely in the eyes. If you don’t know the player Pro Football Focus graded as the top defender from Week 1 of the preseason, you aren’t alone. NFL Draft Scout, the gold standard for draft coverage, projected Bolton could go as high as the 5th round, with a team most likely to snag him in the 6th or 7th round. He was their 21st ranked outside linebacker. In fact, Bolton was such an afterthought to many as a prospect, he doesn’t even have a MockDraftable page to check his testing numbers. His RotoWorld page only features two news items, neither from the year he actually spent starting for the Sooners. Search YouTube, and the only highlights you’ll find are from when “Buzzy” was a three-star recruit in Murrieta, California. Yet Bolton was an honorable mention All-Big 12 player last season with 138 tackles, 12 TFLs, 4.5 sacks, and 2 passes defended in his one year as a starter for the Sooners. Players from blue blood programs who put up those kinds of numbers generally get noticed more than Bolton. At 6-foot-1 and 228 pounds, he’s undersized and lacks the athleticism that jumps off the page the way NFL teams covet. His Relative Athlete Score of 7.15 is just a touch better than Kyler Fackrell (and just ahead of ex-Packer Carl Bradford) but at 6-foot-1 228 pounds teams would want something faster than a 4.59 40-yard dash and better agility times. On the other hand, as Bill Belichick would say, don’t tell me what he can’t do, tell me what he can do. Early in Bolton’s college career, Oklahoma linebackers coach Tim Kish decided the best way to use Bolton’s first-step explosiveness was on the edge. Kish says Bolton was the team’s second-best pass rusher, a dime package specialist put on the field to make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks.Injuries kept him from making a bigger splash before his standout senior season. A shoulder injury robbed him of the chance at significant playing time as a junior and he wasn’t expected to start even as a senior with the Sooners moving a five-star recruit to inside linebacker. Bolton won the job
Blake Martinez Color Rush Jersey , shocking everyone but his position coach. Curtis Bolton took advantage of his limited opportunities early before injuries set back his collegiate development. Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images“That’s exactly the player I expected him to be,” Kish says. “I think he would have had a similar outcome to his junior season had be been able to play through that year without getting hurt.”With just that single season of production, size and the history of injuries, NFL teams worried about his role at the next level. Could he hold up? But the talent, the obvious skillset with his ability to play in space, was all there. Lance Zierlein, who scouts draft prospects for NFL.com said this about Bolton: “Bolton needs to get bigger and improve his hand usage, but he plays a persistent brand of ball and showed vast improvement by the end of the year. His fluidity in space and knack as a blitzer could earn him a legitimate shot as a 4-3 backup WILL linebacker who could become one of the steals of the late rounds.” SB Nation’s Dan Kadar saw a similar player on tape, also pointing to potential as a WILL linebacker in the NFL. Some of Kadar’s notes on Bolton include the following: “Is more of a space player than someone who will come up and fill a gap. Has on-field speed and hustle to chase. Could be a solid blitzer. Intriguing as a cover linebacker because of his movement skills.”The combination of size (or in Bolton’s case, a lack thereof) and coverage ability is what had analysts pegging him as a weakside linebacker. The Platonic ideal at WILL has long been Derrick Brooks, the greatest pass-defending outside linebacker ever. Undersized linebackers who struggle to get off blocks in the run game get put that that box, which is an unfortunate shape for a 3-4 defense where Bolton has to stay inside. Kish dismisses the notion Bolton has to be a weakside run-and-chase linebacker. “Curtis is not afraid to go in there and mix it up inside,” Kish says, noting the NFL game has followed the college game by removing many of the traditional power looks that smaller linebackers would have struggled to defend in generations past. “For him to be able to run down counters, and powers, tosses and sweeps and anything that’s outside the tackles box, I think that’s something he’ll really thrive in,” he says. “I had no hesitation playing him at the WILL inside linebacker in college. He held his own.”Fluidity in space kept Antonio Morrison from being a bigger part of the defense for Mike Pettine last season and Bolton’s ability to shoot gaps as a blitzer dovetails with Pettine’s affinity for double-A gap pressures. He was also one of the most efficient blitzing linebackers in the 2019 draft class with 29 pressures in 87 pass rush snaps, and finished 7th in PFF’s pass-rush productivity metric, ahead of top-10 linebacker picks Devin Bush and Devin White. This is Bolton’s pass-rush prowess on display, the trait that earned him reps on the field to start his career. But despite his size, Bolton makes an impact in the run game as well. Run stop percentage how measures how often a player makes a tackle that results in a non-successful play for the offense. Bolton’s run stop percentage at Oklahoma (10.74%) was just a tick below the aforementioned White (11.24%) and well ahead of Bush (6.76%). Those numbers could have been even better if he’d tackled more efficiently. Aside from size, reliability as a tackler stands out as Bolton’s biggest flaw. For a Packers defense with precisely that ailment going back years now, the rookie linebacker has to get that part of his game worked out if he wants to be on the field for Green Bay. “I gotta finish plays,” Bolton told Matt Schneidman of the The Athletic on Sunday. “My first or second play in, I should’ve got a TFL
https://www.thepackersfanshop.com/Dave-Robinson-Jersey , didn’t get it. I tipped a pass and jumped, could’ve picked it, didn’t pick it. I cleanly beat the running back on a pass rush, don’t get the sack. Those are things that, if you wanna play in this league, you gotta finish those. This isn’t high school. This isn’t college. There’s 100 people out there waiting for the opportunity that you have. Those are the type of plays you gotta make if you wanna stick around.”Bolton already has to deal with challenges from fellow Big 12 rookie Ty Summers, who has made a push of his own in training camp. Even before Bolton’s big preseason opener—Summers had one as well—Bolton often ran ahead of Summers in the inside linebacker rotation. With Oren Burks having no clear timetable for recovery following a chest injury, Bolton has received the first crack at trying to replace the versatile Year 2 cover linebacker. “You hate to see that stuff go down. I’ve seen all the work (Burks) put in in this last year too,” Bolton said. “It’s tragic. We’re all praying for him, for a speedy recovery. At the end of the day, football’s football, but this is life. This is his livelihood. I recognize that, but at the end of the day I have to be the type of person that, I play his position. It’s a next man up mentality and I’m just trying to take advantage of my opportunity.”Challenges, even deeply personal ones, are nothing new for Bolton, who lost his father, his idol, in high school. He plays the game now as an homage to his dad. From personal tragedy to injuries and competition from five-star recruits, now to facing the prospect of going from camp body to starter, Bolton doesn’t back down from these challenges. “He’s a tremendous competitor,” Kish insists. “He doesn’t think anyone can beat him. He wouldn’t say that to you, but I will.”On Thursday night, Buzzy will get his first chance to run with the starters in a game where they’ll actually get meaningful playing time against the Ravens, an AFC playoff team from a year ago. We also found out Tuesday Oren Burks’ pectoral injury likely won’t be season ending, but there’s no time table for his return. Could his job end up being taken when Burks can get back healthy? Given the way his football life has unfolded to this point
Aaron Jones Jersey , underestimate Bolton at your own peril. Three numbers belonged to Lombardi-era Hall of Famers, while two were recent fan favorites." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteAcme Packing Companya Green Bay Packers communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsSectionsPackersOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections The APC PodcastPackers Film RoomFantasy Football AdviceCDTShareTweetShareSharePackers assign jersey numbers to 2019 NFL Draft class, with 52 and 87 among them“Bro, they gave our numbers away!”Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY SportsIt really is the dawning of a new day in Green Bay. For years, Green Bay Packers fans had watched Clay Matthews and Jordy Nelson take the field wearing 52 and 87 in green and gold. In 2019, however, things will look very different, as both of those numbers will belong to members of the team’s 2019 draft class.Rashan Gary and Jace Sternberger will have plenty of recent success to live up to when they put on those jerseys this year. Interestingly, several members of the Packers’ draft class wore single-digit numbers in college — Gary among them. They of course had to get new numbers to meet the NFL’s uniform regulations. Here’s a look at the new numbers for each of these new Packers and the history that comes with each one.Rashan Gary, OLB (1.12): #52It’s going to be weird seeing Clay Matthews’ old number on a different face this season, but at least it’s staying at the same position rather than going over to the offensive line. Hopefully Gary can be as productive early in his career as Matthews was — the former USC Trojan had 23.5 sacks in his first two years. Of course, Matthews had high marks to live up to as well, as it belonged to longtime center Frank Winters before him.Matthews just found out about the number assignment, though, and he had some fun with it:Darnell Savage, S (1.21): #26Cornerback Bashaud Breeland wore number 26 most recently, donning that last season. However, the best Packer to wear 26 is not in question — that would be Herb Adderley, who now has a minor connection to both of the Packers’ first-round picks. He wore 26 from 1961 to 1969 after being the 12th overall pick (like Gary) in ‘61.Elgton Jenkins, G (2.44): #74The Packers’ second-round pick gets a number that has belonged to a pair of excellent defensive linemen in the past, though he’ll be on the other side of the trenches. Recently, Aaron Kampman wore 74 on his way to 54 sacks as a Packer; back in the Lombardi days it was Henry Jordan’s number for five All-Pro seasons and five NFL titles en route to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Jace Sternberger, TE (3.75): #87Do we need to explain the recent history of number 87? Sternberger will have a lot to live up to in wearing the number most recently donned by Jordy Nelson. However, that number also belonged to a legendary Lombardi-era Packer: defensive lineman Willie Davis, also a Hall of Famer and also a five-time All-Pro.Kingsley Keke, DL (5.150): #96This number assignment likely means that Muhammad Wilkerson’s time in Green Bay is done
Kenny Clark Color Rush Jersey , as that was his number last season. It also belonged to Mike Neal in the early part of this decade, Sean Jones probably had the most success in these digits, however, recording 24.5 sacks in three years with the Packers.Ka’Dar Hollman, CB (6.185): #2929 became available earlier this offseason when Kentrell Brice left as a free agent. Before him, Casey Hayward wore it, and the Packers should be thrilled if they get any similar sort of production from Hollman in his career. It also belonged to a trio of starting defensive backs in the team’s lean years: Al Matthews, Mike McCoy, and Ken Stills.Dexter Williams, RB (6.194): #22The Packers likely have some explaining to do with this number. Kapri Bibbs is also listed as wearing 22 on the team website, so presumably he will be giving up these digits. There are other available numbers in the 20s, 30s, and 40s: 35, 39, 41, 47, and 48 are all currently unclaimed.This number has been handed off to a variety of running backs and defensive backs over the years, but the most notable players to wear it were running back Elijah Pitts in the Lombardi years and starting cornerback Mark Lee in the 1980s.Ty Summers, ILB (7.226): #44For the second straight year, a linebacker will wear number 44 in Green Bay. Last year it was Antonio Morrison’s number after arriving from Indianapolis via trade. Before that, however, it was primarily a running back’s number, with James Starks, Najeh Davenport, and Donny Anderson all sporting it in their Packers careers.
As a lightly recruited three-star player Clay Matthews Jersey , Curtis Bolton fought his way through injury and onto the field at Oklahoma. After going undrafted, he just wanted to make a roster. Now he looks like one of the Packers’ starting inside linebackers." Packers Training Camp 2019From trying to make the team to running with the starters, Curtis Bolton is again exceeding expectations As a lightly recruited three-star player, Curtis Bolton fought his way through injury and onto the field at Oklahoma. After going undrafted, he just wanted to make a roster. Now he looks like one of the Packers’ starting inside linebackers.CDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:From trying to make the team to running with the starters, Curtis Bolton is again exceeding expectations TwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailJoe Webb didn’t see No. 40 in green. Or if the Houston Texans third-string quarterback saw the linebacker lurking, he overlooked him. Webb tried to lob a pass over the top, but that linebacker — sporting a number usually reserved for future castoffs — leapt into the air and tipped the ball away. That’s the story of Curtis Bolton’s football journey to this point. Bolton has gone from a lightly recruited high school player to Oklahoma’s special teams maven who earned his way onto the field in the Big 12 to an undrafted free agent now staring a starting linebacker job with the Packers squarely in the eyes. If you don’t know the player Pro Football Focus graded as the top defender from Week 1 of the preseason, you aren’t alone. NFL Draft Scout, the gold standard for draft coverage, projected Bolton could go as high as the 5th round, with a team most likely to snag him in the 6th or 7th round. He was their 21st ranked outside linebacker. In fact, Bolton was such an afterthought to many as a prospect, he doesn’t even have a MockDraftable page to check his testing numbers. His RotoWorld page only features two news items, neither from the year he actually spent starting for the Sooners. Search YouTube, and the only highlights you’ll find are from when “Buzzy” was a three-star recruit in Murrieta, California. Yet Bolton was an honorable mention All-Big 12 player last season with 138 tackles, 12 TFLs, 4.5 sacks, and 2 passes defended in his one year as a starter for the Sooners. Players from blue blood programs who put up those kinds of numbers generally get noticed more than Bolton. At 6-foot-1 and 228 pounds, he’s undersized and lacks the athleticism that jumps off the page the way NFL teams covet. His Relative Athlete Score of 7.15 is just a touch better than Kyler Fackrell (and just ahead of ex-Packer Carl Bradford) but at 6-foot-1 228 pounds teams would want something faster than a 4.59 40-yard dash and better agility times. On the other hand, as Bill Belichick would say, don’t tell me what he can’t do, tell me what he can do. Early in Bolton’s college career, Oklahoma linebackers coach Tim Kish decided the best way to use Bolton’s first-step explosiveness was on the edge. Kish says Bolton was the team’s second-best pass rusher, a dime package specialist put on the field to make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks.Injuries kept him from making a bigger splash before his standout senior season. A shoulder injury robbed him of the chance at significant playing time as a junior and he wasn’t expected to start even as a senior with the Sooners moving a five-star recruit to inside linebacker. Bolton won the job Blake Martinez Color Rush Jersey , shocking everyone but his position coach. Curtis Bolton took advantage of his limited opportunities early before injuries set back his collegiate development. Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images“That’s exactly the player I expected him to be,” Kish says. “I think he would have had a similar outcome to his junior season had be been able to play through that year without getting hurt.”With just that single season of production, size and the history of injuries, NFL teams worried about his role at the next level. Could he hold up? But the talent, the obvious skillset with his ability to play in space, was all there. Lance Zierlein, who scouts draft prospects for NFL.com said this about Bolton: “Bolton needs to get bigger and improve his hand usage, but he plays a persistent brand of ball and showed vast improvement by the end of the year. His fluidity in space and knack as a blitzer could earn him a legitimate shot as a 4-3 backup WILL linebacker who could become one of the steals of the late rounds.” SB Nation’s Dan Kadar saw a similar player on tape, also pointing to potential as a WILL linebacker in the NFL. Some of Kadar’s notes on Bolton include the following: “Is more of a space player than someone who will come up and fill a gap. Has on-field speed and hustle to chase. Could be a solid blitzer. Intriguing as a cover linebacker because of his movement skills.”The combination of size (or in Bolton’s case, a lack thereof) and coverage ability is what had analysts pegging him as a weakside linebacker. The Platonic ideal at WILL has long been Derrick Brooks, the greatest pass-defending outside linebacker ever. Undersized linebackers who struggle to get off blocks in the run game get put that that box, which is an unfortunate shape for a 3-4 defense where Bolton has to stay inside. Kish dismisses the notion Bolton has to be a weakside run-and-chase linebacker. “Curtis is not afraid to go in there and mix it up inside,” Kish says, noting the NFL game has followed the college game by removing many of the traditional power looks that smaller linebackers would have struggled to defend in generations past. “For him to be able to run down counters, and powers, tosses and sweeps and anything that’s outside the tackles box, I think that’s something he’ll really thrive in,” he says. “I had no hesitation playing him at the WILL inside linebacker in college. He held his own.”Fluidity in space kept Antonio Morrison from being a bigger part of the defense for Mike Pettine last season and Bolton’s ability to shoot gaps as a blitzer dovetails with Pettine’s affinity for double-A gap pressures. He was also one of the most efficient blitzing linebackers in the 2019 draft class with 29 pressures in 87 pass rush snaps, and finished 7th in PFF’s pass-rush productivity metric, ahead of top-10 linebacker picks Devin Bush and Devin White. This is Bolton’s pass-rush prowess on display, the trait that earned him reps on the field to start his career. But despite his size, Bolton makes an impact in the run game as well. Run stop percentage how measures how often a player makes a tackle that results in a non-successful play for the offense. Bolton’s run stop percentage at Oklahoma (10.74%) was just a tick below the aforementioned White (11.24%) and well ahead of Bush (6.76%). Those numbers could have been even better if he’d tackled more efficiently. Aside from size, reliability as a tackler stands out as Bolton’s biggest flaw. For a Packers defense with precisely that ailment going back years now, the rookie linebacker has to get that part of his game worked out if he wants to be on the field for Green Bay. “I gotta finish plays,” Bolton told Matt Schneidman of the The Athletic on Sunday. “My first or second play in, I should’ve got a TFL https://www.thepackersfanshop.com/Dave-Robinson-Jersey , didn’t get it. I tipped a pass and jumped, could’ve picked it, didn’t pick it. I cleanly beat the running back on a pass rush, don’t get the sack. Those are things that, if you wanna play in this league, you gotta finish those. This isn’t high school. This isn’t college. There’s 100 people out there waiting for the opportunity that you have. Those are the type of plays you gotta make if you wanna stick around.”Bolton already has to deal with challenges from fellow Big 12 rookie Ty Summers, who has made a push of his own in training camp. Even before Bolton’s big preseason opener—Summers had one as well—Bolton often ran ahead of Summers in the inside linebacker rotation. With Oren Burks having no clear timetable for recovery following a chest injury, Bolton has received the first crack at trying to replace the versatile Year 2 cover linebacker. “You hate to see that stuff go down. I’ve seen all the work (Burks) put in in this last year too,” Bolton said. “It’s tragic. We’re all praying for him, for a speedy recovery. At the end of the day, football’s football, but this is life. This is his livelihood. I recognize that, but at the end of the day I have to be the type of person that, I play his position. It’s a next man up mentality and I’m just trying to take advantage of my opportunity.”Challenges, even deeply personal ones, are nothing new for Bolton, who lost his father, his idol, in high school. He plays the game now as an homage to his dad. From personal tragedy to injuries and competition from five-star recruits, now to facing the prospect of going from camp body to starter, Bolton doesn’t back down from these challenges. “He’s a tremendous competitor,” Kish insists. “He doesn’t think anyone can beat him. He wouldn’t say that to you, but I will.”On Thursday night, Buzzy will get his first chance to run with the starters in a game where they’ll actually get meaningful playing time against the Ravens, an AFC playoff team from a year ago. We also found out Tuesday Oren Burks’ pectoral injury likely won’t be season ending, but there’s no time table for his return. Could his job end up being taken when Burks can get back healthy? Given the way his football life has unfolded to this point Aaron Jones Jersey , underestimate Bolton at your own peril. Three numbers belonged to Lombardi-era Hall of Famers, while two were recent fan favorites." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteAcme Packing Companya Green Bay Packers communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsSectionsPackersOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections The APC PodcastPackers Film RoomFantasy Football AdviceCDTShareTweetShareSharePackers assign jersey numbers to 2019 NFL Draft class, with 52 and 87 among them“Bro, they gave our numbers away!”Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY SportsIt really is the dawning of a new day in Green Bay. For years, Green Bay Packers fans had watched Clay Matthews and Jordy Nelson take the field wearing 52 and 87 in green and gold. In 2019, however, things will look very different, as both of those numbers will belong to members of the team’s 2019 draft class.Rashan Gary and Jace Sternberger will have plenty of recent success to live up to when they put on those jerseys this year. Interestingly, several members of the Packers’ draft class wore single-digit numbers in college — Gary among them. They of course had to get new numbers to meet the NFL’s uniform regulations. Here’s a look at the new numbers for each of these new Packers and the history that comes with each one.Rashan Gary, OLB (1.12): #52It’s going to be weird seeing Clay Matthews’ old number on a different face this season, but at least it’s staying at the same position rather than going over to the offensive line. Hopefully Gary can be as productive early in his career as Matthews was — the former USC Trojan had 23.5 sacks in his first two years. Of course, Matthews had high marks to live up to as well, as it belonged to longtime center Frank Winters before him.Matthews just found out about the number assignment, though, and he had some fun with it:Darnell Savage, S (1.21): #26Cornerback Bashaud Breeland wore number 26 most recently, donning that last season. However, the best Packer to wear 26 is not in question — that would be Herb Adderley, who now has a minor connection to both of the Packers’ first-round picks. He wore 26 from 1961 to 1969 after being the 12th overall pick (like Gary) in ‘61.Elgton Jenkins, G (2.44): #74The Packers’ second-round pick gets a number that has belonged to a pair of excellent defensive linemen in the past, though he’ll be on the other side of the trenches. Recently, Aaron Kampman wore 74 on his way to 54 sacks as a Packer; back in the Lombardi days it was Henry Jordan’s number for five All-Pro seasons and five NFL titles en route to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Jace Sternberger, TE (3.75): #87Do we need to explain the recent history of number 87? Sternberger will have a lot to live up to in wearing the number most recently donned by Jordy Nelson. However, that number also belonged to a legendary Lombardi-era Packer: defensive lineman Willie Davis, also a Hall of Famer and also a five-time All-Pro.Kingsley Keke, DL (5.150): #96This number assignment likely means that Muhammad Wilkerson’s time in Green Bay is done Kenny Clark Color Rush Jersey , as that was his number last season. It also belonged to Mike Neal in the early part of this decade, Sean Jones probably had the most success in these digits, however, recording 24.5 sacks in three years with the Packers.Ka’Dar Hollman, CB (6.185): #2929 became available earlier this offseason when Kentrell Brice left as a free agent. Before him, Casey Hayward wore it, and the Packers should be thrilled if they get any similar sort of production from Hollman in his career. It also belonged to a trio of starting defensive backs in the team’s lean years: Al Matthews, Mike McCoy, and Ken Stills.Dexter Williams, RB (6.194): #22The Packers likely have some explaining to do with this number. Kapri Bibbs is also listed as wearing 22 on the team website, so presumably he will be giving up these digits. There are other available numbers in the 20s, 30s, and 40s: 35, 39, 41, 47, and 48 are all currently unclaimed.This number has been handed off to a variety of running backs and defensive backs over the years, but the most notable players to wear it were running back Elijah Pitts in the Lombardi years and starting cornerback Mark Lee in the 1980s.Ty Summers, ILB (7.226): #44For the second straight year, a linebacker will wear number 44 in Green Bay. Last year it was Antonio Morrison’s number after arriving from Indianapolis via trade. Before that, however, it was primarily a running back’s number, with James Starks, Najeh Davenport, and Donny Anderson all sporting it in their Packers careers.