The 2024 NFL draft is still over a month away, but now coming out of the NFL Scouting Combine, it’s increasingly difficult to envision the Green Bay Packers passing on taking an offensive lineman with one of their first three picks in April.
Brian Gutekunst currently holds picks No. 25, No. 41 and No. 58. Prediction time: one will be spent on an offensive line prospect.
A Packers-specific big board — factoring in the team’s general thresholds for size and athleticism — helps illustrate the picture. Ryan Connor of Acme Packing Co. provided just such a thing:
A lot will change at pro days, but here is the guys that at least haven't missed the Packers general thresholds (yet) pic.twitter.com/oji9LXNVqU
— rcon14 (@rcon14) March 4, 2024
Focus on the green and yellow rows, or the consensus players ranked between No. 15 and 65. That’s the most likely group of players for the Packers to be picking from with their first three picks. And just look at all the offensive linemen.
JC Latham. Amarius Mims. Troy Fautanu. Tyler Guyton. Graham Barton. Jackson Powers-Johnson. Jordan Morgan. Kingsley Suamataia. Patrick Paul. Cooper Beebe. That’s 10 players at a position grouping where the Packers — with three picks in the top 60 — have short-term and long-term needs.
Rasheed Walker and Zach Tom provide a young and ascending offensive tackle tandem, but the Packers are almost certainly going to lose David Bakhtiari and Yosh Nijman this offseason, and returning backups Caleb Jones, Luke Tenuta and Kadeem Telfort have almost zero NFL experience. In an incredibly strong offensive tackle class, the Packers are a good bet to take at least one. And it could be early — keeping Jordan Love protected and healthy will now be a franchise requirement.
The inside is mostly fine for now but also a potential mess. Josh Myers has been frustratingly inconsistent and is entering the final year of his deal. Jon Runyan Jr., a starter each of the last three seasons, is a free agent. Sean Rhyan, a 2022 third-rounder, played snaps last season but needs to take a big step forward in 2024. Royce Newman has a ballooning base salary and could be cut. In Myers, Rhyan and Elgton Jenkins, the Packers might have their three interior starters for next season. But neither Myers not Rhyan should stop the Packers from attempting to improve at center and right guard. There are both offensive tackle converts and true interior line options in this draft class that could be Day 1 starters as rookies.
The Packers didn’t draft an offensive lineman last year, but one could argue it was a weak class and the roster had other more pressing needs. This year, the offensive line class is terrific — one of the best in years — and the Packers have clear needs up front.
Gutekunst has 11 draft picks, including five in the top 100. He has plenty of ammo for rebuilding the secondary, stabilizing the running back position and adding more weapons for Love on offense and Jeff Hafley on defense. But it’s difficult to imagine Gutekunst bypassing the offensive line during the first two rounds given all the attractive options, his roster’s need and his abundance of draft capital.
A not-so-hot-take in March: the Packers are going to use pick No. 25, pick No. 41 or pick No. 58 on one of the 10 offensive linemen listed above — Latham, Mims, Fautanu, Guyton, Barton, Powers-Johnson, Morgan, Suamataia, Paul or Beebe.