Packers Draft Report Card: Grade and Great Debate for Jager Burton

The Green Bay Packers used the 153rd overall selection on a versatile lineman, Jager Burton. But was it the right versatile lineman?

The Packers drafted Kentucky center Jager Burton in the fifth round. | Photo courtesy Kentucky Athletics

GREEN BAY – In the 2021 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers could have drafted Creed Humphrey. Instead, general manager Brian Gutekunst drafted Josh Myers. Myers was decent; Humphrey quickly became one of the best centers in the NFL.

In the 2026 NFL Draft, the Packers needed to strengthen their offensive line. With their usual fondness for versatility, there were a few compelling options on the board.

Notre Dame All-American and Campbellsport, Wis., native Billy Schrauth, who started at left and right guard.

Duke’s Brian Parker, an All-American at right tackle, who worked at center during the predraft process to get ready for the NFL.

Jager Burton, who started at center in 2025 and entered the draft having played 1,158 snaps at left guard, 976 at center and 531 at right guard.

Packers Draft Jager Burton in Fifth Round

The Packers drafted Burton with the 153rd overall pick of the fifth round. Schrauth went 160th to Tampa Bay and Parker went 189th to Cincinnati.

Why?

“Jager, he fits us, quite frankly, because he’s so versatile,” Gutekunst said. “He can play center, he can play both guard spots, a very good athlete. We always try to build that so that we have different combinations. Certainly, he fits that mold.”

That’s true. The question – the unanswerable question – is whether the Packers picked the right lineman.

Burton’s proven ability at center, obviously, is something that can’t be said for Parker and Schrauth. By necessity, Green Bay moved Sean Rhyan from guard to center last season following Elgton Jenkins’ season-ending injury. By choice, it signed him to a three-year contract before the start of free agency.

Burton stands as a potential insurance policy should Rhyan struggle in full-time duty and the Packers decide to escape the rest of his contract, which includes a $6.5 million roster bonus next year. There’s no reason to believe that will be the case, so, if nothing else, Burton could be the next man up at a position that lacked a clear backup.

“Well, first of all, the measurables,” director of college scout Matt Malaspina said. “He’s got really good size, speed, flexibility, toughness – the traits that you look for in an offensive lineman. Obviously, at our level, versatility, because it’s a smaller roster. He played well at guard, played well at center. He’s a big man. It wasn’t that hard to figure out, I guess, for me.”

About those measurables: Burton’s got good size at 6-foot-3 7/8 and 312 pounds and elite athleticism.

Jager Burton was drafted in round 5 with pick 153 in the 2026 draft class. He scored a 9.88 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 10 out of 735 OC from 1987 to 2026.https://t.co/1svkxBxL3X pic.twitter.com/OyxdDjnrDn

— RAS.football (@MathBomb) April 25, 2026

“Yeah, I think both my dad, who played at Morehead State, definitely get some from him and then my mom ran track and stuff in Kentucky in high school,” he said during his Zoom call with reporters. “I get a little bit from both. But it’s also something I obviously worked on and was really focused on going into this process, because I knew how important it was, and I was happy with my numbers.”

He’s coming off his best season, too. Pro Football Focus charged him with zero sacks. He started 47 games in his career.

“I think the thing with him is he always does his job,” Malaspina said. “He does it at a comfort level, not a panic level. He’s a big dude. He’s a big guy, which is what we love. I was very pleased that he was there. I never, ever would have thought he would be there. It was a win for us.”

Grading Packers’ Selection of Jager Burton

For Gutekunst, it wasn’t just the option of versatile linemen. Running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen of Penn State and Adam Randall of Clemson would have filled a big need behind Josh Jacobs.

Speaking of running backs:

“I actually used to play running back in pee wee and middle school,” Burton said, “and I was just kind of long-legged so they just called me ‘Moose’ because it was a longer stride run when I’d get in the open field and stuff like that. Yeah, that was my nickname growing up and then whenever I see coaches or guys from that team, I’ll still get it sometimes.”

The Packers obviously won’t be giving the rock to Burton. They will be asking him to open holes for Jacobs or protect Jordan Love, who he called “one of the best” in the NFL. Will he be doing it at center or guard?

“I don’t really have a preference. Just whatever is going to help the Packers win games,” he said. “At the end of the day, that’s all I care about now. I think that was something that coach Zach Yenser and coach Eric Wolford at Kentucky did a great job of, was just making sure guys were ready to play numerous positions and putting us in a good situation for trying to get to the point that I’m at right now and just knowing how important that is at the next level. They did a great job of just developing all our guys with flexibility to play left, right, center or swing tackle.”

Only time will tell if the Packers made the right pick. But there will never be anything wrong with taking an experienced, versatile, athletic blocker from the SEC. He’s got a chance to have the Packers feeling really good about the backup plan at center.

Grade: B.

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