Using their first of three seventh round draft picks, the Packers selected California defensive lineman James Looney. Looney, a 6-3 287-pound prospect, follows in the footsteps of his father and brother, both of whom played in the NFL.

What we know about James Looney

While he may not have prototypical size for any one defensive line spot, Looney has athleticism in spades. He was rated the third most athletic defensive tackle in this year’s class by Kent Lee Platte’s Relative Athletic Score and his testing numbers compare well to those of Datone Jones.

Looney never had overwhelming stats, but he earned All-Pac 12 honors in 2016 on the strength of a 54 tackle, 3.5 sack season.

How Looney helps the Packers

Looney is probably a depth player to start, but that’s based in large part on assumptions about the Packers’ defense under Dom Capers. With Mike Pettine now calling the shots, the Packers may utilize their defensive line a bit differently. That could give Looney an opening.

But even so, numbers work against him. Mike Daniels, Kenny Clark, Muhammad Wilkerson, and Dean Lowry all populate the depth chart ahead of him at present, and he could get competition from the undrafted free agent crowd as well. But it never hurts to have plenty of bodies around on the defensive line, and should an opportunity present itself, Looney is athletic enough to take advantage.