Things got so bad at inside linebacker for the Green Bay Packers last season that they were forced to move pass-rushing maven and modern day Cro-Magnon Man Clay Matthews from his normal spot terrorizing quarterbacks on the outside to the interior in order to shore up their abysmal run defense.
Thankfully, the move helped solidify the entire unit and Matthews - originally quite averse to the move - eventually, came to embrace the seemingly temporary switch as the Pack fought and clawed their way to the NFC Championship Game.
With the NFL offseason now upon us, Packers GM Ted Thompson and head coach Mike McCarthy have turned their attention to free agency and the 2015 NFL Draft in an effort to upgrade a handful of troublesome spots on the roster.
One of those spots is, of course, inside linebacker with the latest NFL draft rumors alleging that both Thompson and defensive coordinator Dom Campers are extremely high on a fast-rising prospect out of Clemson, Stephone Anthony.
"Staying with the Pack, I'm told they are very high on Stephone Anthony, who would fill a need at inside linebacker. Anthony had 16 official visits at the combine and the first team he met with was Green Bay. I was informed Anthony is a favorite of defensive coordinator Dom Capers," reports Tony Pauline of Draft Insider.
While depending on a draft pick to start right away - even one selected in the first-round - is an often dicey proposition, with Brad Jones released and AJ Hawk potentially not far behind, Anthony could slot in alongside Sam Barrington in the middle allowing Matthews to move back outside, strengthening two areas of the Packers defense with one fell swoop.
Anthony, who entered the initial portion of the draft evaluation process with little press and little fanfare, built momentum for himself at the Senior Bowl then went to the NFL scouting combine and absolutely dominated, pushing himself from a mid-round pick to a potential first-round lock.
The 6-foot-2, 245-pound linebacker amassed 206 tackles, 6.5 sacks and 24 tackles for loss during his junior and senior seasons at Clemson.
