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Packers select LB Isaiah McDuffie with 220th pick in 2021 NFL Draft

The Packers grabbed a smaller, athletic linebacker with their penultimate selection in 2021.

Boston College v Pittsburgh Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images

With their first selection in round six of the 2021 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers looked to their own backyard — quite literally — by selecting Wisconsin Badgers and former Bay Port High School offensive tackle Cole Van Lanen.

But with the 220th pick of the draft, the Packers went back East, grabbing a player from Boston College for the second straight draft. This time it is linebacker Isaiah McDuffie, a small but speedy linebacker.

At 6-foot-1 and 227 pounds, McDuffie fits the modern mold of an agile linebacker, running his 40-yard dash in a reported 4.58 seconds. He was a part-time starter as a true sophomore then lost most of his 2019 to a knee injury and redshirted. He returned in 2020 to start full-time, recording an interception, three sacks, and 6.5 tackles for loss. In fact, McDuffie had good success as a blitzer at BC, posting 8.5 sacks in his career.

However, as a sixth-round pick, McDuffie will surely need to contribute on special teams early to earn a reserve role on defense.

The Packers will have one more selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, coming up late in round seven at pick number 256 overall.