The Ultimate Packers Draft Preview: Offensive Line

Here’s a look at the Green Bay Packers’ offensive line situation ahead of the NFL Draft, including pertinent history and 14 potential draft picks.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Apr 22, 2020 4:37 PM EDT

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Here’s a look at the Green Bay Packers’ offensive line situation ahead of the NFL Draft, including pertinent history and 14 potential draft picks.

State of the Packers

Green Bay has its starting five in place with left tackle David Bakhtiari, left guard Elgton Jenkins, center Corey Linsley, right guard Billy Turner and new right tackle Rick Wagner. However, Bakhtiari and Linsley will be free agents at the end of the season, as will former starting guard Lane Taylor. Bakhtiari presumably will be a priority to re-sign but there’s only so much money to go around, meaning the team might need a long-term answer at center. Moreover, Wagner was fairly mediocre in Detroit, has a bit of an injury history and could be a one-year rental, making offensive tackle a long-term need, as well.

Based on History, Maybe You Can Forget …

Dating to 2005, Ted Thompson and Brian Gutekunst have combined to select 23 offensive linemen: 11 tackles, nine guards and three centers. For the sake of this segment, we will count only the 21 selected from 2006 through 2018, since Will Whitticker and Junius Coston were selected under former coach Mike Sherman and for a different offensive system.

Of those 21, there is 40-yard dash data available for 18. The historic Scouting Combine average is 5.28 seconds; only Jason Spitz (5.44), Cole Madison (5.33) and Andrew Datko (5.32) were slower. Last year’s second-round pick, guard Elgton Jenkins, ran his 40 in 5.10 seconds, which beat the Combine average by 0.18 seconds.

There are 20-yard shuttle times available for 19 of the picks. The historic Combine average is 4.75 seconds; only Madison (4.88), tackle Jamon Meredith (4.82) and guard Caleb Schlauderaff (4.81) – fifth-, fifth- and sixth-round picks, respectively – were slower. Jenkins’ 4.62 beat the average by 0.13 seconds.

The Packers’ averages: 5.12 in the 40 and 4.63 in the shuttle. Those times beat the Combine averages by 0.16 seconds and 0.12 seconds, respectively. In both events, Jenkins was even a hair faster. If you look at the 11 linemen selected by Green Bay in the first four rounds, the average shuttle time dips to 4.60.

Interestingly, only Madison was slower than both averages. That makes him the real outlier. Remember how Spitz and Datko were slower than the 40-yard average? Well, they made up for it by crushing their 20-yard shuttles. So did 2011 first-rounder Derek Sherrod, who matched the Combine average in the 40 but beat the shuttle average by 0.12 seconds.

Under second-year coach Matt LaFleur and his outside-zone running scheme, the importance of athleticism presumably has only be amplified. Who could be off the board in this year’s class? Going with numbers that are slightly better that historic Combine averages:

Slower than 5.25 in the 40: OT – Washington’s Trey Adams (5.60), Missouri’s Yasir Durant (5.52), West Virginia’s Colton McKivitz (5.35), Georgia’s Isaiah Wilson (5.32), Charlotte’s Cameron Clark (5.29), Wake Forest’s Justin Herron (5.26). IOL – Oregon Calvin Throckmorton (5.57), Oregon’s Jake Hanson (5.50), Mississippi State’s Tyre Phillips (5.37), San Diego State’s Keith Ismael (5.34), Rhode Island’s Kyle Murphy (5.30), Kentucky’s Logan Stenberg (5.30), LSU’s Lloyd Cushenberry (5.27)

Slower than 4.70 in the shuttle: OT – Texas Tech’s Terence Steele (5.08), Georgia’s Isaiah Wilson (5.07), West Virginia’s Colton McKivitz (5.00), UConn’s Matt Peart (4.92), Wake Forest’s Justin Herron (4.88), North Carolina’s Charlie Heck (4.86), Alabama’s Jedrick Wills (4.84), South Carolina State’s Alex Taylor (4.79). IOL – Mississippi State’s Tyre Phillips (5.11), Ohio State’s Jonah Jackson (5.02), Oregon’s Calvin Throckmorton (4.98), Oregon’s Shane Lemieux (4.90), Clemson’s John Simpson (4.87), Kentucky’s Logan Stenberg (4.83), Mississippi State’s Darryl Williams (4.76), Boise State’s John Molchon (4.73).

Wild cards: Ismael missed the mark in the 40 but crushed the shuttle (4.65). Those running bad shuttles but good 40s include Steele (5.03), Wills (5.05), Peart (5.06), Taylor (5.09) and Lemieux (5.11). Peart is one of the better prospects in the draft but his shuttle was so slow that the guess here is he’s not on the board.

What about arm length? It doesn’t appear to be a huge factor for Green Bay. At tackle, Division III standout Ben Bartch, who is considered a potential Day 2 pick, has only 32 7/8-inch arms. Bryan Bulaga had 33 1/4-inch arms, though he played against much better competition in college. On the interior, Spitz had 31 1/2-inch arms. Meanwhile, Marshall Newhouse (6-3 3/4) is the shortest tackle and Linsley (6-2 5/8) is almost an inch shorter than the next-shortest interior blocker.

Potential Draft Fits

(For much more on each of the prospects check out the links at the end of the story.)

First Round

USC OT Austin Jackson: Jackson allowed four sacks and 14 total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. His grandfather was drafted by the Packers. Plus, he’s got an incredible personal story.

Houston OT Josh Jones: Jones allowed one sack and four total pressures. The Senior Bowl was important: “I was able to come in, and kind of get that stigma off me that I didn’t play against any Power-5 guys.”

Boise State OT Ezra Cleveland. Cleveland was a three-year starter. He allowed three sacks and 14 total pressures. He ran the fastest shuttle of any lineman at the Combine, though he might only be a left tackle.

Michigan C Cesar Ruiz. Ruiz allowed no sacks and nine total pressures during his final season. He was the fastest center at the Combine in terms of the 40-yard dash and 10-yard split.

Second and Third Rounds

TCU OT Lucas Niang. Incredibly, he did not allow a sack as a three-year starter. Niang missed the second half of his senior season with a hip injury that required surgery. He allowed six pressures.

Louisiana T/G Robert Hunt. He started at guard as a freshman and sophomore and at right tackle as a junior and senior. Driving a physical, run-first attack, Hunt allowed one sack and two total pressures as a senior.

Temple C Matt Hennessy. A three-year starter, Hennessy allowed zero sacks and four total pressures as a senior. He ran the second-fastest shuttle at the Combine.

Fourth and Fifth Rounds

Auburn OT Jack Driscoll. After starting 20 games at UMass, Driscoll was a graduate transfer who started 25 more games at right tackle at Auburn. As a senior, he allowed one sack and 10 total pressures.

Washington C Nick Harris. Harris was a three-year starter, including right guard as a sophomore and center his final two seasons. He allowed two sacks and five total pressures. At just under 6-foot-1, he might not be a consideration, though arm length is not a problem.

Kansas OT Hakeem Adeniji. Adeniji ended his career with 48 consecutive starts. Over his final three seasons, 35 of those came at left tackle. He allowed three sacks and nine total pressures as a senior. He could move to guard.

San Diego State C/G Keith Ismael. He allowed one sack and six total pressures despite missing the spring following shoulder surgery. He’s woefully underpowered but plenty athletic.

Sixth and Seventh Rounds

South Carolina State OT Alex Taylor. Taylor went from college football to college basketball to college football. He allowed two sacks against bad competition. “I haven’t played my best football yet. I can’t wait to see it.”

Ball State G Danny Pinter. Pinter started 11 games at tight end as a freshman and sophomore before making the move to right tackle. He allowed only one sack but 16 total pressures as a senior. He aced the Combine.

Michigan G/T Jon Runyan. The son of the former NFL standout by the same name, he allowed two sacks and 16 total pressures at left tackle as a senior.