Green Bay Packers: Jake Ryan Has the Pedigree to Be an Outstanding Linebacker

When it comes to having a great background in football, look no further than rookie Jake Ryan of the Green Bay Packers.

The Packers selected Ryan in the fourth round (No. 129 overall) of the 2015 NFL draft last Saturday to add his talent to the inside linebacker position.

Ryan played his college ball at Michigan, where the football program has a storied past, stretching all the way back to 1879.

The Wolverines have won more games (915) than any team in Football Bowl Subdivision history and have the second-best winning percentage (.729) behind only Notre Dame.

Michigan has also won 11 national championships, with the last one coming in 1997.

Though recently the team has not played up to the standards of some of the squads in the past, Ryan always played at a high level while at Michigan.

In his four-year career with the Wolverines, Ryan had 267 tackles, 45.5 tackles for a loss, 9.5 sacks, one interception, seven passes defended and seven forced fumbles.

Ryan was also a two-time captain for the Wolverines and was named to the All-Big Ten first team in 2014.

Before he came to Michigan, Ryan went to Saint Ignatius High School—which also has a storied reputation—in Cleveland.

The Wildcats started playing football in 1911 and have won 11 OHSAA (Ohio High School Athletic Association) state titles, with the last one coming in 2011, when Ryan was a member of the team.

Ryan now joins the Packers, who have the richest legacy of any team in the NFL. The Packers have been in the NFL since 1921 and have won 13 NFL titles, which is more than any team in league history.

Ryan is also joining a team that has won four Super Bowls, including Super Bowl XLV in 2010. Since then, the Packers have won four straight NFC North titles.

Ryan can help the team win it's fifth straight divisional title and another Super Bowl, which would add even more hardware to the Green Bay trophy cabinet.

One week ago, I put together my final mock draft for the Packers. I had them selecting Ryan in that mock.

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Why? Part of it was his play on the field for the Wolverines at both the outside and inside linebacker positions. I also liked what I saw from Ryan at the East-West Shrine Game, as his play stood out among the other stars.

Furthermore, his workout at the NFL Scouting Combine showed me that he could also be a cover linebacker on passing downs, besides being a force in the running game.

The 6'2", 240-pound Ryan ran a 4.65 in the 40-yard dash and an 11.65 in the 60-yard shuttle.

Eliot Wolf, the director of player personnel for Packers, talked about what assets Ryan can bring to the team when he met with the media on Saturday.

"He can get through traffic. He can make plays on the outside. He can penetrate and make plays on the inside run," said Wolf. "Pretty good in coverage, kind of an all-around guy that we felt adds really good value to our team."

No. 47 will be competing with players like Carl Bradford, Nate Palmer and Joe Thomas to see who will become the starter at inside linebacker next to Sam Barrington.

I wouldn't bet against Ryan winning that job.

Ryan has played football at storied programs that expect to win a championship every year. That culture won't change in Green Bay—that's for sure.

Ryan has battled against the best of the best at those programs and has always come out on top in terms of starting.

We shall see if that trend continues in 2015. I know I like his chances.