2016 Stats

• 25 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 fumble recovered
• Pro Football Focus: 85.3/100 (9th out of 127 interior defenders)

Expectations going into the season: High
Expectations were: Met

Analysis: Mike Daniels matches big talk with big play

Mike Daniels has always had a big personality, and he plays exactly how he talks. Though his leadership skills came into question this season, specifically in an article by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Daniels proved that his preferred leadership style is to show everyone how it’s done.

Nearly every Sunday this season, Daniels put on a clinic in the fundamentals of power, leverage, and hustle. Though he’s just 6 feet tall, Daniels overcame frequent size mismatches to cause havoc in opposing backfield, often beating double teams to do so.

Sparring with the biggest and strongest members of the opposing offensive line, Daniels is the Packers’ best run defender and seems to overcome blockers by sheer force of will.

Daniels may also have taken Clay Matthews’ mantle as “best defensive player” this season, proving himself to be a bargain as he did it. Though Matthews takes up a much heftier portion of the cap, Daniels counted just over $7 million against the books.

Even as his number rises to more than $10 million in 2017, Daniels should still be a great value for the Packers, both for his contributions and for how he demonstrates professionalism and all-out effort to everyone on the field.