Nick Bolton is a 6’0″ 232-pound linebacker. He played his high school football at Lone Star High School in Texas where he racked up 111 tackles and one interception in his junior year and 130 tackles and five interceptions in his senior year. He ended up committing to play for the Missouri Tigers. Bolton has played three seasons with the Mizzou Tigers, during which he was named First Team All-SEC following both the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Bolton is a talented linebacker and the Packers need help at that position. Here is why the Green Bay Packers drafting Nick Bolton in the 2021 NFL Draft would make sense.
Green Bay Packers Drafting Nick Bolton in the 2021 NFL Draft Would Make Sense
Breakdown of Bolton
Bolton’s hit power is elite. He has the strength to take down any opposing player should they be in his way, regardless of their position. It is easy to tell just by watching a few plays that he is willing to put his body on the line by staying explosive through the contact to ensure the ball carrier has no hope of breaking the tackle. And despite his aggressive playing style, Bolton still has had an almost flawless bill of health throughout his college career. He only suffered a minor undisclosed injury towards the back end of the 2020 season, which he played through.
While versatility is not necessarily the first thing a team looks for in a player, it never hurts to have it. But Bolton does not. He has not shown the ability to play anywhere but the middle linebacker spot, specifically in blitz packages. This lack of versatility will not be an issue for the Green Bay Packers, though, as they have the self-proclaimed Smith bros (Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith) along with former first-round pick Rashan Gary as options outside.
What could be an issue for the Packers is his underwhelming play in coverage. While he can play in coverage in a pinch, it is far from his strong suit. He has been flagged in the past for holding his man to prevent a big play, and there have been times the player he was covering was wide open.
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His Fit With the Packers
Following the release of Christian Kirksey this off-season, the Packers now have sophomores Krys Barnes and Kamal Martin as their options for their featured inside linebacker spot. While both were solid in their rookie campaign, especially for a fifth-round pick and undrafted free agent, the position requires an upgrade that Bolton would undoubtedly provide, allowing him to be a day one starter for this Packers defense. The Packers need to improve at linebacker going into this season and Bolton could help in that endeavor. In addition, Joe Barry, the Packers new defensive coordinator, knows how to coach linebackers and Bolton could develop further under him.
Last Word
The 2021 draft class is full of highly graded linebackers and not too many teams have linebacker as a top priority going into the draft. It is entirely possible that Bolton will fall to the Packers at pick 29. While he could very well be the choice of the Cleveland Browns at pick 26 or the New Orleans Saints at pick 28, not many teams ahead of the Packers are likely to feel they need to take Bolton before the Packers make their selection at 29. And if he is available, the Packers should draft him because they need help at the inside linebacker position and Bolton could provide that.
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