How Will Second-Round Pick Anthony Belton Fit with Packers?

The Green Bay Packers used their second-round draft pick on North Carolina State offensive tackle. He fits the Packers’ new way of building an offensive line.

North Carolina State Wolfpack offensive tackle Anthony Belton (74) blocks Tennessee Volunteers defensive lineman James Pearce Jr. / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Brian Gutekunst decided to take a ride in an Escalade, with the Green Bay Packers selecting North Carolina State offensive tackle Anthony Belton in the second round of the NFL Draft on Friday night.

Belton might not have fit what the Packers had typically looked for on the offensive line, but he fits perfectly now.

In years past, dating back to Ted Thompson’s tenure, the preference has been to find more of the athletic, dancing bear on the offensive line.

Belton is big and he’s powerful, and he wants everyone to know something immediately.

“I take pride in my physicality and finishing blocks.” Belton said during his introductory Zoom call with Packers beat reporters.

Belton is 6-foot-6 and 336 pounds, which fits with the shift the Packers appear to have undergone this offseason. A pride in physicality like that makes Belton sound like a throwback offensive lineman.

With the Packers’ emphasis on running the ball more last season with the emergence of Josh Jacobs as the team’s primary identity, the shift continued after signing Aaron Banks in free agency.

Why the emphasis on size?

“It’s the old phrase, ‘big doesn’t get small,’ Packers vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan said at Lambeau Field on Friday. “Especially when you play here in the NFC North. We play in the cold and you can wear people down as the season goes along and the elements change. It’s kind of the way we were raised in this thing up here. We want to be big across the front, we want to be physical, we want to be able to overwhelm with size and physicality.”

With the investment in Belton and Banks, they certainly are not going to be small.

Banks is 6-foot-5 and 335 pounds. The Packers gave him a $77 million contract this offseason to be their left guard.

Belton was NC State’s three-year starting left tackle. He might wind up following the typical Packers’ path of playing tackle in college before moving inside in the NFL.

His size and physicality are something the Packers are chasing.

Green Bay really struggled in the latter portion of the season, especially during the playoff loss in Philadelphia, with the Eagles’ big defensive linemen pushing players into the lap of Jordan Love. The size and power of Belton was something the Packers were attracted to as a way to combat that.

Aaron Rodgers moved around the pocket more than Love. He was more keen on extending plays. So, he would simply escape the pocket or reshape it if things broke down. Love prefers to deal from within the pocket, making the requirements different of Green Bay’s offensive line than they were when Rodgers was under center.

The Packers have taken note.

“Yes, of course,” Sullivan said when asked if the emphasis on size was due to the different style of quarterback. “I think if you look at some of the teams, whether you’re talking about the NFC North or you’re just talking about the NFC in general as you get into the playoffs, some of the defensive fronts that you face, I think you’ve got to have guys that can hold up.

“And we look for that. We look for guys that can play big-man ball and sustain vs. power and do those kinds of things. If you don’t have that, eventually you’re going to succumb to the teams you’re going to play against powerful, big fronts, especially the deeper you go into the playoffs you’ve got to be able to handle that.”

The other reality is not just on the field, but in the salary cap books.

The Packers have four offensive linemen entering what could be their final season with the team. Left tackle Rasheed Walker, right tackle Zach Tom, right guard Sean Rhyan and center Elgton Jenkins have questions surrounding where they will play next season. Walker, Tom and Rhyan will be free agents next offseason while Jenkins’ base salary will soar to $18.5 million for 2026.

The key name in that group is Rhyan, the 2022 third-round pick who replaced Jon Runyan in the starting lineup last year. Runyan was a solid player for the Packers but never a plus-starter. Still, he received a three-year, $30 million contract in free agency after the 2023 season.

With the big contracts on the books for Banks and Jenkins, combined with a likely extension coming for Tom, costs will have to be cut elsewhere.

The Packers have not had an issue with paying interior offensive linemen. They gave out second contracts to Corey Linsley and Jenkins. Both of those players, however, were more decorated than Rhyan, so the Packers could have Belton get ready to replace him.

The other reality for Belton’s rookie season is the Packers needed depth and competition on the interior of their offensive line. Before Friday, they had six players for five spots, with last year’s first-round pick, Jordan Morgan, presumably being the first player off the bench when the team lines up for OTAs next month.

After that, there was not a lot to be optimistic about. Kadeem Telfort and Travis Glover, a sixth-round pick last year, struggled when thrown into the fire in the playoff loss to the Eagles. Jacob Monk, a fifth-round pick last year, was a healthy scratch for most of the season. When the Packers needed a center for the end of the playoff game, they moved Rhyan rather than insert Monk.

While Belton, obviously, will be a big part of the team’s future plans, he’ll at least be asked to provide competent depth as a rookie. Belton may rep some at tackle during the spring but will likely get a chance to be the top backup at both guard spots.

Once he’s on the field, the Packers are going to hope to ride behind the Escalade all the way into the end zone. 

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Here's an updated story on new #Packers offensive lineman Anthony Belton, the team's second-round pick.https://t.co/QWK1oV23MN

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) April 26, 2025

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