GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Jerel Worthy does not want to disappoint the Packers, especially not after Green Bay traded up to get him.
With the former Michigan State defensive lineman still available midway through the second round, Packers general manager Ted Thompson moved up in the draft for only the fourth time in eight seasons, not wanting to miss out on an opportunity to bring Worthy to Green Bay.
"It just shows that they have faith in my potential, they have faith in the skills that I possess, and they have faith in me progressing as a great football player," Worthy said in a phone interview. "I want to come in and have an impact right away. I just want to leave my mark and let these guys know that they (should) have no regrets about picking me."
Thompson moved up eight picks to No. 51 by trading the 59th overall pick and the Packers' fourth-round selection (No. 123) to Philadelphia.
"He's a very instinctive player, he's very quick off the ball, he has a sort of a natural ability to have vision in traffic, see things, come off blocks, that sort of thing," Thompson said. "We liked a lot about him."
Worthy, in his junior season in 2011, recorded 30 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. He also blocked two kicks while starting all 14 games at left defensive tackle.
However, in the Packers' 3-4 scheme with coordinator Dom Capers, defensive line coach Mike Trgovac made it clear where Worthy fits in.
"He'll be a defensive end," Trgovac said. "He's played all the positions (in college) and he'll be a defensive end for us. He's good at the point of attack. He played against some pretty good talent (in the Big 10) and had some good games against those guys."
At 6-foot-2 and 309 pounds, Worthy is not as big the rest of Green Bay's defensive line, including B.J. Raji (337 pounds) and Ryan Pickett (340 pounds). But, with Capers citing Worthy's "excellent initial quickness and good strength," the hope is that he can step in and contribute right away. And that's what Worthy wants to prove he can do.
"I'm ready to work and I have a chip on my shoulder," Worthy said. "I'm ready to come in and make an impact right away. I'm just going to go in the lab and I'm going to continuously work to perfect my techniques and perfect myself as a player.
"I'm going to develop into the person that Dom Capers saw and the person that he wants me to be. And I'm going to make him proud. I'm going to come in and make some plays."
If the Packers' roster stays as is entering training camp, Worthy will likely be expected to be the team's starter at defensive end next to Raji and Pickett. Jarius Wynn started the most games at that spot in 2011, but no matter who it was, the production was very inconsistent as Green Bay struggled getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks all season.
The Packers added veteran lineman Anthony Hargrove this offseason on a one-year, minimum contract, but there's a good chance he could face suspension for his time spent on the New Orleans Saints during the bounty system years of Gregg Williams. There is also Mike Neal, a 2010 second-round pick by Green Bay, but he will be suspended the first four games of the regular season for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.
That is what makes the addition of Worthy so valuable to a Packers defense that finished 27th in sacks last season and was the worst in NFL history in passing yards allowed.
The only concern with Worthy entering the draft was about his effort, with some scouts and analysts noting that he appeared to not always give it his all on every play. That
"People criticize and say I may take a play off here or there, but there's nobody in the NFL game today or college or all the way down to pee-wee who plays every play full speed, full-go without getting tired," Worthy said. "It's impossible. All I can say is I'm going to come in and try to continue to work to be a lot more consistent, and I'm going to be a lot more consistent. That's going to be my goal.
"The plays that showed up in the highlight tape, that's the same plays that I'm going to transfer up to the NFL and do it on a consistent basis."
But the Packers didn't just take Worthy's word for it. Capers spoke with Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio, with whom he has a close relationship, who gave high praise to Worthy.
"We feel pretty good about his personality and stuff like that," Trgovac said. "There's a lot of kids that have some growing up to do, and he certainly does. But deep down he's a good kid."
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