Which Interior Offensive Linemen Might Be Off Packers’ NFL Draft Board?
GREEN BAY, Wis. – It’s a tradition unlike any other. No, not The Masters. It’s the Green Bay Packers investing heavily on the offensive line.
Over the past six drafts, the Packers have selected 11 offensive linemen. They’ve taken them early (Josh Myers, Elgton Jenkins and Jason Spriggs were second-rounders). They’ve taken them late (Cole Van Lanen, Jon Runyan, Jake Hanson and Simon Stepaniak were sixth-rounders the last two years).
Expect general manager Brian Gutekunst to invest again. Veteran starter Lucas Patrick signed with the Chicago Bears in free agency and Jenkins is coming off a torn ACL and might wind up at right tackle, anyway.
It’s not quite to the extreme of the offensive tackle, but the Packers prefer racecars over four-by-fours at the interior positions.
Dating to 2006, when Ted Thompson began drafting linemen for zone-based blocking schemes, the Packers have selected 27 offensive linemen. Of that group, 16 found their NFL niche as either a guard or a center.
Former All-Pro center Corey Linsley is the shortest at 6-foot-2 5/8. Everybody else was at least 6-foot-3 1/2.
Over the last nine drafts, all 11 interior selections had 32-plus-inch arms.
The 20-yard shuttle is a key measuring stick at most positions. The historic Combine average is 4.74 seconds. Of the 12 who did that drill, 10 were faster than 4.70 seconds – including five who beat 4.60 seconds. Royce Newman, last year’s fourth-round pick and 16-game starter, hit 4.75. That made Caleb Schlauderaff (4.81), a sixth-round pick in 2011 who didn’t make it, the lone significant outlier.
Say what you want about offensive linemen rarely needing to run 40 yards but that time seems to matter. Of the 13 interior blockers who ran a 40, 10 were 5.20 seconds or faster. That’s considerably faster than the historic Combine average of 5.29 seconds. The outliers were center Jason Spitz (5.43), a third-round pick in 2006 who ran an excellent shuttle, guard Cole Madison (5.33), a fifth-round pick in 2018 who bombed, and center Jake Hanson (5.50), a sixth-round pick in 2020 whose 40 time was ruined by a hamstring injury.
Relative Athletic Scores is an algorithm that allows comparisons of all the height-weight-athleticism measureables. Only Madison and Hanson were below-average in RAS. Perhaps not coincidentally, their careers didn’t pan out and might serve to reinforce the go-for-athletes approach. Of the seven linemen drafted the past three years, Myers and Stepaniak were coming off injuries and didn’t have a RAS. The others: Jenkins, 9.34; Newman, 8.72; Van Lanen, 8.49; Runyan, 8.49; and the injury-impacted Hanson, 3.75.
So, among the draft-worthy blockers, who might not fit based on that history?
Height (6-2 or shorter): Centers – Illinois’ Doug Kramer (6-2).
Arm length (32 inches or shorter): Centers – Iowa’s Tyler Linderbaum (31 7/8). Guards – Virginia Tech’s Lecticus Smith (31 7/8), Mercer’s Jason Poe (31).
Shuttle (4.75 or slower): Centers – Kentucky’s Luke Fortner (4.95), Arizona State’s Dohnovan West (4.81). Guards – Texas A&M’s Kenyon Green (5.12), Oklahoma’s Marquis Hayes (4.78), Virginia Tech’s Lecticus Smith (4.78), Georgia’s Justin Shaffer (4.85), Tulsa’s Chris Paul (4.83), Michigan’s Andrew Stueber (4.90), LSU’s Chasen Hines (5.00), San Diego State’s Bill Dunkle (4.91).
40 (5.30 or slower): Centers – Utah’s Nick Ford (5.47). Guards – Oklahoma’s Marquis Hayes (5.30), San Diego State’s Bill Dunkle (5.44).
The interesting name here is Green, a two-time consensus All-American who is considered a late-first-round prospect. He started games at four positions last season but fits best at guard. If the plan is to move Jenkins to right tackle, the Packers could be in the market for an instant-starter at guard.
Green’s RAS was 5.92 – above the position average but not by much. He is exceptionally quick off the ball – his 10-yard split of 1.76 seconds ranking among the best in the draft class – and has long arms (34 1/8 inches) but was guilty of an unsightly six holding penalties in 2021, according to Sports Info Solutions.
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