In what is an absolutely loaded offensive tackle draft class, the Green Bay Packers will, at a minimum, need to add competition to that position group this offseason. Following the NFL Combine, here were the top performers, and there were quite a few of them.
Throughout Brian Gutekunst’s tenure as general manager, there has been a strong connection between many of his draft picks and their Relative Athletic Score (RAS). Now, are the Packers using RAS as part of their evaluation process? No. However, does utilizing RAS as a tool help us on the outside gain some added perspective into who could interest the Packers? For sure.
Gutekunst has made 54 selections in his six drafts that have logged a RAS with 40 of them scoring above 8.0 and 25 above 9.0. Only nine of his picks have scored below 7.0, with only two of those selections coming in the top 100.
To learn more about RAS and its connection to the Packers’ draft classes, click here.
The Packers have taken eight offensive linemen since 2018 when Gutekunst took over and six of them scored above that 8.0 mark, including Zach Tom at 9.59 on the RAS scale and Elgton Jenkins at 9.33. Only Cole Madison and Jake Hanson – two late Day 3 picks – scored under 7.0.
Following the NFL Combine, below you will find all of the offensive tackles who posted a RAS of 8.0 or higher.
Joe Alt, Notre Dame: 9.91
Tylan Grable, Central Florida: 9.85
Frank Crum, Wyoming: 9.82
Patrick Paul, Houston: 9.80
Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State: 9.71
Tyler Guyton, Oklahoma: 9.63
Roger Rosengarten, Washington: 9.60
Amarius Mims, Georgia: 9.50
Olumuyiwa Fashanu, Penn State: 9.44
Troy Fautanu, Washington: 9.40
Kingsley Suamataia, BYU: 9.35
Cadan Wallace, Penn State: 9.10
Jordan Morgan, Arizona: 8.99
Garret Greenfield, SDSU: 8.36
Competition was a key factor in the offensive line’s play during the second half of 2023. Early on in the year, up-and-down play up front contributed to the offense’s overall issues.
However, in Week 9, when the Packers began rotating at left tackle and right guard, the play of the entire unit began to elevate, and by the end of the season, this was one of the better-performing offensive line units in football.
If the Packers go into Week 1 with Rasheed Walker and Zach Tom as their starting tackles, they should be in good shape, but my guess is that they want to recreate that competition over the summer, specifically at left tackle, not to mention that having reliable depth is important as well.
Walker eventually beat out Yosh Nijman and was the go-to left tackle option for the Packers. His play as the season went on certainly improved, but as offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich pointed out late in the season, there is still a ways to go in his development.
“He’s getting all this experience under his belt,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich prior to Week 18. “He’s doing a good job. I’m really impressed with how he goes about his business. How he competes. He’s still got a ways to go. He’s got a lot of room for improvement, but I’m impressed with how he works.”
While I would consider Walker the favorite to start at left tackle this season, I don’t believe that will be a given, either. He will have to earn it once again.
Tom held up very well at right tackle and did so against several of the game’s top edge rushers. With competition needed at center – as well as guard – perhaps the Packers could look to give Tom some reps inside during training camp and the preseason.
But as Gutekunst mentioned at his season-ending press conference, while that certainly is still on the table as the Packers search for their best five offensive linemen, admittedly, that would be a difficult decision to make, given how well Tom played at a very important position.
“I think we’ll get to that,” said Gutekunst about where Tom will play, “but I think we’re gonna try to get the five best guys we can out there at all times and again, I think it’ll be our job to bring in some guys and have healthy competition in there.
“He played really well at right tackle this year, you know what I mean, and so to move him around I think, on the coaching staff, will be hard, but at the same time he’s probably a guy that can play all five spots and I think he could be really good at all five of ’em, so it’ll be just dependent on what we have and where we need him.”
Given that Tom may have solidified himself as the Packers’ long-term answer at right tackle, it’s possible that if Green Bay views a prospect as only a right tackle option, that may not be a pick they make early on in the draft. I would imagine a swing tackle, or a pure left tackle to compete with Walker is what is on their radar.
Already on the roster, the Packers do have Caleb Jones and Luke Tenuta, both of whom have been on the 53-man roster the last two seasons in a developmental role–not all that different from the path Yosh Nijman took.
I’m sure in a perfect world, both of these players could provide that competition, or at worst, be an option off the bench that the coaching staff is confident in if an injury were to strike.
With that said, Tenuta is a late Day 3 pick coming off an injury that kept him sidelined all season, and Jones went undrafted. Combined, the two have played seven NFL snaps.
With the Packers having five draft picks in the top 100, they have quite a bit of flexibility to move around or to truly take the best player on the board, which, in a few instances, is probably going to be an offensive tackle with how strong this draft class is at the top.