After Disappointing Rookie Season, He’s on ‘All-Breakout Team’

First-round picks come with high expectations. Just ask Matthew Golden and the impact he’s expected to have on the Green Bay Packers’ passing attack.

Last year’s first-round pick, Jordan Morgan, made almost no impact at all.

A shoulder injury that popped up during training camp ultimately ended his season after his lone start against the Lions in Week 9. In six games, he played 186 snaps. Only the Steelers’ Troy Fautanu, who missed most of the season with a knee injury, played fewer snaps among last year’s first-round picks.

There are high hopes for Morgan entering Year 2. He is one of the guards on Pro Football Focus’ All-Breakout Team.

“Based on their hallmark offseason moves,” wrote PFF’s Bradley Locker, “the Packers have intended to make life easier on Jordan Love by signing Aaron Banks and drafting Matthew Golden in the first round. The next step in that plan would figure to be starting Morgan.”

Morgan was a three-year starting left tackle at Arizona but he never really got a shot at that position. Rather, he shared playing time at right guard with starter Sean Rhyan for five games, then started at left guard when Elgton Jenkins moved inside to center for the aforementioned game against Detroit.

PFF charged him with zero sacks and seven total pressures. Of 92 guards who played at least Morgan’s number of snaps, he ranked 75th in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency, which measures sacks, hits and hurries allowed per pass-protecting snap. While his PFF grade was “below expectations for a player of his caliber,” he also was learning on the fly after not playing any snaps at guard at Arizona.

While Morgan will compete for the starting job at left tackle, he’s also competing at right guard with Rhyan. Guard might be his best path to playing time in 2025. That would give the Packers a new interior trio. The Packers signed Aaron Banks in free agency and inserted him at left guard. Jenkins is being moved to center, where he’ll replace Josh Myers.

“Given Morgan’s college pedigree – he turned in an 83.4-plus overall PFF grade in both 2022 and 2023 – he appears poised to win that job, if not follow in Jenkins’ and others’ footsteps and break out,” Locker wrote.

While Morgan might not have ideal length for a tackle, his athleticism will give him a chance to compete at any position.

“The same thing you see, right?” offensive line coach Luke Butkus said when asked why he believes Morgan can play left tackle. “How athletic he is, how easy he moves and how smooth it looks. I was just talking to (assistant offensive line coach Eddie) Gordon and sometimes it looks like he’s not straining or playing hard.

“I think it’s just natural, it’s easy for him to just move, to gain ground, to just skim the blades of the grass. It’s effortless. Where, a guy like me, it looks clunky and robotic. But really like where he’s headed and the direction he’s going. Love it.”

The other guard on PFF’s All-Breakout Team plays for the Lions. The team also includes the Chicago Bears duo of quarterback Caleb Williams and receiver Rome Odunze along with Minnesota Vikings safety Theo Jackson.

“Williams certainly has areas to improve, including sack avoidance (league-high 17 sacks attributed to him) and negative plays,” Locker wrote. But with new coach Ben Johnson, who was the brains behind the Lions’ offensive juggernaut, an overhauled offensive line and additional weapons at receiver and tight end, “Williams has everything at his disposal” to have a breakout season.