The Green Bay Packers are starting out first-round pick Jordan Morgan at left tackle, the position he played extensively in college, but offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich isn’t in a rush to commit to a position for the rookie.
“I wouldn’t say he’s a tackle, I wouldn’t say he’s a guard, I just want to see where he fits best for us and with our best five out there,” Stenavich said Monday. “So that may be at tackle. It might not be. But I’m excited to work with him and you can see his athleticism when he’s out there. He’s a pretty talented guy.”
Morgan got his start at left tackle during rookie minicamp. That could change when the full 90-man roster comes together later in the offseason and into training camp.
The Packers believe Morgan has four position potential, meaning he could play tackle or guard on either side of the line. It’s a projection, but the Packers have a long history of cross-training offensive linemen at multiple positions and turning collegiate left tackle into dominant players elsewhere along the line.
Rasheed Walker returns after a strong second half of the 2023 season, and the Packers’ need at right guard might be far greater than the one at left tackle. But if Morgan’s best position is left tackle, it could be difficult for the Packers to move the first-round pick from a premium spot.
“He’s a natural on the edge. He looks comfortable out there,” Stenavich said. “There’s obviously some technique stuff we’ve got to clean up, just like anybody, but yeah, I’m excited to work with him and just watch him and see.
Morgan played every snap — all 2,153 of them — at left tackle over the last three seasons at Arizona. But many draft evaluators saw the potential in Morgan moving inside to guard; Dane Brugler of The Athletic rated him as his second-best guard in the draft class. Shorter arms and a lack of ideal length represented at least one reason why evaluators predicted a move inside, but neither Morgan nor the Packers are that concerned about his length at tackle considering his movement ability and overall athleticism.
“I was out there today at left tackle,” Morgan said following rookie minicamp. “I’m trying to show that I’m a true left tackle, show that I can be out there on the edge and protect the quarterback.”
As always, the Packers will attempt to configure the “best five” offensive linemen. It’s possible the line will be Walker, Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Morgan and Zach Tom from left to right. Or maybe Morgan wins the job on the left side, Walker moves to the right side and Tom moves inside to guard or center.
Increasing the number of possible combinations is exactly what the Packers want — as many ways to create a good offensive line as possible.
“Very excited about it. I think it’s just a matter of putting the best group out there and there’s a lot of different combinations,” Stenavich said. “We’ll see how it all shakes out. That’s one thing we’re always pretty intentional about is working guys at multiple positions to just see where they fit best. I think that’s kind of what we’ll be doing in OTAs and the early part of camp.”