Mike Pennel: 2015 Packers Player Report Card

Mike Pennel

  • Age: 24
  • Ht./Wt: 6'4", 332lbs
  • College: Colorado State-Pueblo
  • NFL Experience: 2 years

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Expectations coming into the season:  They were not extremely high.  Pennel was not drafted in 2014, played in just 13 games and recorded just eight tackles.  The drafting of Christian Ringo, the re-signing of Letroy Guion and the return of BJ Raji from injury left legitimate concern for Pennel's role in Dom Capers' defense.

Player’s highlights/low-lights: Pennel played like a man possessed in the win over San Diego at Lambeau Field.  Despite only 24 snaps on the field, Pennel tallied two hits on Philip Rivers, an addittional hurry, and a tackle-for-loss in the run game.  He also played very well in the win over Dallas at home.  The young defensive lineman did have a three game stretch (@Car, vs. Det, @Min) in which he recorded only two assisted tackles and didn't see much playing time.

Level of Expectations met:  Considering how little was expected of him, you'd have to say that Pennel exceeded all expectations.  His weight, 322 pounds, and strength made him an effective run defender and a capable nose tackle.  His 6'4" frame also afforded him the ability to play the 3 and 5 technique.  The ability to contribute at nose and at end makes Pennel a possible long-term solution on the Packers' defensive line.  It was never a lock that Pennel would beat out draft pick Christian Ringo for the last defensive line spot on the 53 man roster.  He did that and played well.

Grade: B+

Player’s contributions to team success:  I really felt like Pennel was rock solid, and that his tape indicates room for growth, and potential as a starter.  Of 122 qualified (enough snaps played) interior defenders, Pro Football Focus ranked Pennel 64th.  That's not bad at all for a 2nd year interior guy.  His versatility cannot be understated, as his ability to play end or nose allows Capers and DL coach Mike Trgovac the ability to keep players fresh along the defensive line at either spot.  He didn't make a ton of splash plays, in fact his only sack came in a game that the Packers lost by 30.  That said, he's a very good player against the run, and his numbers may have been depressed by the fact that he only gave Green Bay 322 snaps.  You can compare that to 823 snaps from Mike Daniels or the ridiculous 1,055 snaps JJ Watt gave Houston.  It's certainly possible that more snaps for Pennel could mean more production.

Grade: C+

Player’s contributions in the playoffs:  There certainly wasn't much to write home about.  From an interior lineman perspective, the Packers used quite a bit of Letroy Guion and BJ Raji.  Pennel was blanked from the stat sheet against Washington, but did record two solo tackles in the run game against Arizona.  Green Bay had the top run defense in the playoffs, and Mike Pennel certainly had something to do with that.

Grade: C-

Intangibles/misc: Certainly seems like a good dude.  You always have a certain level of concern when D2 or FCS players that are drafted originally came from Power 5 schools.  Pennel started his college career at Arizona State and was suspended indefinitely for things he said on Twitter.  That's never good, but no personality or attitude issues have made themselves clear in Green Bay.

Grade: B

 

Overall Grade:  B-

 

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Ross Uglem is a staff writer for Cheesehead TV. He can be found on Twitter @RossUglem 

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Comments (13)

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Packer_Pete's picture

February 03, 2016 at 12:26 pm

He'll have a spot on the 2016 roster. Here is hoping that he can make a jump. Would make Guion expendable. I also hope Ringo will make a jump, and then the interior DL could look good for 2016 again, if either Raji (preferred) or Guion is re-signed.

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Razer's picture

February 03, 2016 at 12:28 pm

I like Pennel. He needs more snaps and more consistency (which should come from the snaps). Get him a good sidekick and the interior of the line will fine.

Funny to think that TT has wasted numerous picks for big men (Harrell, Worthy, Boyd) only to find a keeper via UDFA. Looking forward to Pennel's next year.

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Katsuya89's picture

February 03, 2016 at 01:06 pm

Boyd isn't a bad player though, and was only a 5th rounder. I remember back when TT drafted Mike Daniels in the 4th, a lot of Packers fans were bashing TT for wasting a pick on an undersized DLineman, when they already drafted Worthy. Good thing he double dipped at Dline that year lol.

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lou's picture

February 03, 2016 at 01:52 pm

Good points on the high DL picks that failed, you missed the most current one, Khyri Thornton (bounced from Pat's to Lion's). Harrell had all the tools, injury robbed him of his chance, but Worthy and Thornton had no where near the talent as Harrell coming out. You could see Pennel's first season that he had ability, the big difference in my mind this year is confidence, he has now made big plays and has started some games, last year it looked like he was so pleased to be in the NFL which is understandable as a UDFA. The sky is the limit with this kid because it looks like he has the right attitude besides the skill set.

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zoellner25's picture

February 03, 2016 at 12:46 pm

I really like Pennel and the attitude he brings. I think Daniels has been coaching him up. Very strong player but still raw. He'll get even better.

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croatpackfan's picture

February 03, 2016 at 01:06 pm

Mike Pennel, my favorite DL from the moment he arrived in Green Bay. Watch his tape from college days. He was chasing much lighter QBs all around the field!

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Since'61's picture

February 03, 2016 at 03:01 pm

Give him more snaps and lets see if he can make the jump in 2016. I like his versatility. He can develop, into a solid DL for the Packers especially against the run. Thanks, Since '61

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Thom Tedson's picture

February 03, 2016 at 04:02 pm

He definitely will be an upgrade over Guion if he makes any kind of year 2 jump. Liked what I saw of him in limited duty.

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DrealynWilliams's picture

February 03, 2016 at 04:08 pm

I really like Pennell as well. Gotta see more of him.

I also hope to see (more of) the 3-3-5 formation. Dom has to find ways to get his best front 6 or 7 front line on the field. I don't think we have another D-Lineman that can be dominant in base and nickel outside of Daniels (but he's doubled when in 2-4-5). Unless we find a better ILB, the middle of our 4-2-5 will always be our weakness.

Throw Daniels,Pennell and Raji or D. Jones
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Any LB combo with Clay (inside)

They can attack from any angel that Base and 4-2-5 can plus more.

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Oppy's picture

February 03, 2016 at 09:28 pm

Pennel has shown very impressive quickness for a man his size- we've seen him chase down a RB from the left end all the way to the opposite sideline and make the play- and his technique at nose tackle is arguably better than any other current packer DT- he drops his ass low with knee bend (not at the waist) while heextends his keeps his arms extended keeping linemen off of him. If Raji is not resigned, Pennel looks primed to take over as the Packers defacto NT. Still a lot of room to improve, which is exciting. It will be fun to see if he does.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

February 05, 2016 at 12:38 pm

Pennel led the DL in tackles per snap (1 every 8.29 snaps) and was the best in missed tackles per snap (just 1 missed tackle in his 287 snaps, and 3rd in pressures per snap at 1 every 42 snaps (behind Datone, Daniels with 1 per 25, but way ahead of Raji (1/86 snaps) and Guion (1/107 snaps). In other words, made more tackles per snap and applied more pressure per snap than Raji and Guion, but clearly Pennel played more DE than Raji.

Looks like Pennel could be the starting NT (but I am not quite certain), but I think he can play DE as well.

Pennel's grade is too low. During the playoffs, he only played 14 snaps against Washington and 14 snaps against Arizona and thus had 2 solo tackles in 28 snaps (1 tackle per 14 snaps). Guion had 1 tackle ever 14.5 but with a TFL, and Raji had 1 tackle every 11 snaps including 3 tackles for loss. It does look like Guion and Raji played a bit better, in a very small sample size. Daniels is clearly the best DL: I can make a case that Pennel was the 2nd best interior DL.

Given that Pennel is a fully functional rotational player (i.e. he can sub in at NT and DE w/o being miscast), I would give Pennel a solid B.

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Tundraboy's picture

February 06, 2016 at 03:54 pm

Talent is there as is the size, and his quickness is precisely what we need more of. Considering he had some personal and attitude problems it is great that he has put that behind him. This seems also like another benefit of having a leader like Daniel's.

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holmesmd's picture

April 09, 2016 at 12:49 pm

I really like Big Mike but sadly he will begin the first 4 games of 2016 on suspension! Geez, very disappointing!:( His size and versatility are a rare commodity however and I hope he returns after the first month of the season with a chip on his shoulder and ready to devour O linemen! It is very likely that he may become our full time NT as he has ideal size and strength. Very few players out of college possess the strength to play 3-4 NT at the NFL level so the draft won't help immediately. Let's hope Guion can hold it down for a month until Pennel returns. Looking for Mike to make another big jump in 2016 with an additional year of experience and strength training under his belt!

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