National Football League

DT Mike Daniels deserves more recognition

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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When we think of the Packers the offensive side of the ball is usually what comes to mind. Of course, with a slew of talent like Aaron Rodgers, Eddie Lacy and Jordy Nelson, why wouldn’t we? But the Packers also have their fair share of defensive impact players, including the largely unnoticed fifth-year defensive tackle, Mike Daniels, who late last season signed a four-year $42 million contract extension including a $12 million signing bonus.

A fourth-round 2012 draft pick, Mike Daniels has for the most part flown under the radar within the league. Recently, ESPN Insider pinpointed the Game Plan Wreckers for All 32 NFL Teams and for Green Bay, that guy was none other than Mike Daniels.

Looking at his 2015 stat line, it’s easy to see why. Last season, Daniels recorded 49 tackles, 22 assists, four sacks and one forced fumble. According to Pro Football Focus, that made Daniels the eigth-best interior defender with a score of 88.2. In 2014, equally as impressive, Daniels combined for 41 tackles, 29 assists and 5.5 sacks. This type of consistency is what makes Daniels an impressive and high-impact player for Green Bay’s defense.

Earlier this summer, NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal listed Daniels as one of Nine NFL Players Primed to Make Their Pro Bowl Debuts. According to Rosenthal, ‘Daniels was too good last season to be held down. A three-down threat that is equally effective against the run and the pass, Daniels was largely unknown to the general public until his breakout year. The Pro Bowl is often one or two years behind in recognizing emerging players, so Daniels is due.’

The other great thing about Daniels is that he loves Green Bay. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, when it came to signing his contract extension last December, Daniels didn’t want to be bothered with the details and told his agent to just do what he could to keep him in Green Bay.

“I wanted to be in Green Bay,” Daniels told the Journal Sentinel after the deal had been done. “This is a great place to be and personally I’ve been getting better every year here. I love living here.”

If Daniels maintains the high-level of play we’ve seen the last few years, there is no reason why he shouldn’t be one of the most recognized defensive players in the NFL after this season.