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GREEN BAY — As frustrated as Green Bay Packers fans have become with former first-round draft pick Justin Harrell, they should know that the third-year defensive lineman at least feels their pain.
“Anytime you draft somebody as high as they drafted me and he hasn’t done anything the whole two years he was up here, it’s like he’s getting free money,” Harrell said Thursday. “I can totally understand where people are coming from. But I’ve got to stay focused on just trying to get myself healthy. I know once I get myself healthy, everything else will take care of itself.”
Hopefully, Harrell will understand if people find that one a little hard to swallow. Plagued by chronic back pain, he has appeared in 13 of the Packers’ 32 regular-season games since he was drafted and didn’t do anything notable on the rare occasions when he did play.
The good news about Harrell is the fans’ pain is the only pain he is feeling these days. Proclaiming himself pain-free for the first time in four years, Harrell ran with the No. 1 unit as an end in the Packers’ new 3-4 defense during an OTA session Thursday.
Part of that was because Cullen Jenkins is recovering from injuries and isn’t practicing, but the mere fact Harrell was full-go and moving around well was encouraging because he hasn’t been healthy enough to participate in the OTAs the last two offseasons. That’s not really setting the bar very high, but, given Harrell’s near-bust status in Green Bay, low expectations are understandable.
“My expectations for Justin are to stay healthy,” said coach Mike McCarthy, who called Harrell a hard worker and an excellent student. “I think all of the individual goals that he has and that we have for him, he’ll be successful and reach. He’s a player that is kind of going through an injury segment of his career, and it happens. ... There have been nothing but positive signs so far, but he’s got to get over this medical hurdle that he has been fighting through.”
As scary as the thought is, the Packers’ success this season might depend on it.
With the hiring of Dom Capers as defensive coordinator and the subsequent switch to a 3-4 alignment, the Packers needed some new players up front who fit the scheme. The draft yielded possible immediate help in nose tackle B.J. Raji and outside linebacker Clay Matthews, but it didn’t provide any answers at end.
That’s where Harrell comes in. With Jenkins out, Harrell and the versatile Raji were the ends flanking nose tackle Ryan Pickett Thursday. Johnny Jolly, who was thought to be a likely starter at end, mostly played tackle with Raji in a four-man line on pass-rushing downs.
Problem is, the ends on the NFL’s best 3-4 teams tend to stand at least 6-foot-4 and weigh at least 300 pounds. Of the Packers’ top four ends, only Harrell has the type of rangy body that works best at the position.
Though he might not athletic enough to become a great 3-4 end, Harrell would greatly aid the defensive transition with a breakthrough season.
“I evaluated Justin coming out of Tennessee and I thought that he had good ability to be a 3-4 defensive end,” Capers said. “He’s certainly been in here and working through all of our offseason training program. He’s done a good job.”
Yes, but can the Packers count on Harrell after he’s disappointed them so often? Given his history, it would be foolish to do so.
Even now, Harrell is raising red flags. He lost considerable weight during offseason conditioning — he guessed he dropped to about 310 — but went home for a week around Memorial Day and came back at 325. This from a guy who let himself go last offseason and immediately injured his back when he reported to work.
Harrell said he’s learned his lesson, but we’ve heard that before. One thing we haven’t heard is Harrell admitting to disappointment and frustration over letting people down.
“I’ve been here for three years and I don’t feel like I’ve really lived up to anything that they were expecting,” he said. “I have a lot to prove. Hopefully, this will be the year.”
With few other options at end, the Packers are counting on it.
