Green Bay Packers Place LB Isaiah McDuffie on NFI List

Green Bay Packers’ training camp begins next week, but at least initially, they will be without their sixth-round draft pick, linebacker Isaiah McDuffie.

 

According to Aaron Wilson, McDuffie was placed on the non-football injury list, which, as it sounds, is an injury that occurred away from football. At this time, we don’t know how much time McDuffie will miss, but he is eligible to return at any time and can stay on it as long as needed. 

 

McDuffie is a fairly experienced collegiate player out of Boston College, where he was on the field for 1,436 snaps during his career, including as a starter in 2018 and 2020–he would miss time in 2019 with an injury. 

 

During that span, he would tally 35 pressures, 11 sacks, along with 193 total tackles, including 15.5 for a loss. Meanwhile, in coverage, McDuffie allowed 11.8 yards per catch on 68 targets with a completion rate of 79.4 percent, according to PFF. He also came away with an interception in 2020 and had four career pass breakups.

 

At 6’1″ – 224 pounds, McDuffie is a bit on the smaller side for a linebacker but has decent speed and could be an immediate help on special teams as a rookie. 

 

For a closer look at McDuffie’s game and what he can offer, here is what Lance Zierlein of NFL.com had to say in his pre-draft scouting report:

 

“McDuffie plays with a palpable energy and rarely gears down until the whistle blows. He’s undersized, but is at his best playing inside. That’s where his recognition talent and instincts take over and allow him to race to run lanes ahead of the block. He pursues with leverage but has the burst to accelerate and attack when it’s time to finish. His full-tilt playing style will lead to occasional issues with pursuit angles and being out of balance as a tackler, though. He’s feisty but takes time to free himself from blockers and was ineffective when asked to drop into coverage. He has the ability to become a quality backup with core special teams value.”