The first thought when the Green Bay Packers selected Jordan Morgan with the 25th overall pick of the NFL Draft was where would the team use him. At Arizona, the offensive lineman played exclusively at left tackle, but his short arms (32 7/8") are an indication that he might be forced to move to guard in the NFL.
During his first press conference as a Packer, Morgan showed willingness to move to whichever position the team wants him to.
"I'm athletic enough to do that type of thing," Morgan said. "I'll play anywhere they put me. I'm good at adapting to anything. Put me at guard, put me at tackle, whatever. I just want to play and win for the team."
Jordan Morgan is young, at 22, but he also had a lot of college experience. Over the last three seasons, he played 2,153 offensive snaps, all of them at left tackle.
As a relatively smaller tackle, he followed the path of a former Packers legend — David Bakhtiari.
"Following him and studying his play, it feels like an honor to be able to go to Green Bay and play," Morgan added.
Last year, Jordan Morgan showed how high his ceiling can be. He had an 87.3 PFF pass block grade, plus a solid 77.0 run block grade.
As the 36th player on the consensus big board, Morgan didn't know if he would hear his name called on Thursday. But the outcome couldn't have been better for him.
"I was anxious the whole process. The whole time," he said. "Everybody asked me what I was doing, and I had no clue. When it happened, my heart stopped and I got that call."
Positional value
The Packers see a scenario where Jordan Morgan can eventually become a tackle. General manager Brian Gutekunst had said on Monday that versatility was a big point of emphasis. And after the selection, the executive reinforced the point.
When asked about what position Jordan Morgan would play, Gutekunst said the team will choose the best five offensive linemen.
"What makes up for it is their feet and athleticism," Gutekunst pointed out. "And that's what Jordan has."
But more than that, offensive guard has become a more valuable position.
Seven of the ten most expensive contracts given to offensive linemen on average per year in free agency this offseason were signed by... interior players. Historically, tackles are the highest-paid players at that unit, but a confluence of events and a new trend around the league have made guards and centers much more valuable.
If tackles are still more important for the success of the team, why are guards and centers getting paid that much in free agency? There are two main reasons for that.
The first one is a natural difference in valuation over the last few years. With defensive tackles increasing their value and perception, offenses are counterpunching it with better guards — the Packers, for example, are comfortable keeping Elgton Jenkins inside, where he plays at a higher level, instead of adapting him to a more valuable position.
The second point is related to an NFL rule. There is not a specific franchise tag for each position on the offensive line, but rather a unified number. In 2024, this number was $20.985 million — and $19.04 million for the transition tag.
Even though tackle is a more valuable position, guard has become a pretty important one as well. Landon Dickerson got $21 million per season in his extension with the Philadelphia Eagles. Three other guards are getting $20 million or more per season: Atlanta Falcons' Chris Lindstrom, Panthers' Robert Hunt, and Indianapolis Colts' Quenton Nelson.
It means that taking a guard early in the draft has a big potential to generate surplus value.
If Jordan Morgan can become a day 1 starter at right guard and he is as good as Jon Runyan, which is fairly realistic for a high draft pick, he's already generating between $6 million and $7 million of surplus value if compared to the open market.
Jordan Morgan might not be a popular name among fans. But he is exactly what the Packers were looking for.
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