Early, Middle, Late: Packers Draft Prospects on Offensive Line

The NFL Draft is almost here, and the Green Bay Packers are looking to get over the hump and back into contention for a Super Bowl.

Green Bay’s offense, in theory, should be in pretty good shape, with 10 of 11 preferred starters returning from 2024. There are some important questions, though, including this one: How good is the offensive line? That question might be the most important one.

In free agency, the Packers signed guard Aaron Banks to a $77 million contract, let center Josh Myers walk and moved Elgton Jenkins from left guard to center. Last year’s first-round pick, Jordan Morgan, who mostly played guard as a rookie will compete with Rasheed Walker to be the starting left tackle.

If Morgan is going to play tackle, the Packers will need interior line depth. If Morgan winds up back at guard, they could be looking at securing their left tackle of the future in this draft class.

Moreover, four of their five starters are on contracts that will need to be addressed after the 2025 season. Walker, right tackle Zach Tom and right guard Sean Rhyan will be playing on expiring contracts and Jenkins’ cap number will become prohibitive at the end of the 2025 season.

Clearly, the Packers will need reinforcements and competition after the lack of depth last year was painfully exposed during the team’s season-ending loss in Philadelphia.

Broken into tiers, here are nine prospects they could target.

Day 1

T/G Kelvin Banks, Texas

Could the Packers take another versatile offensive lineman in the first round after doing the same a year ago with Morgan? Yes, they could.

Because of a lack of length, there are questions about Kelvin Banks’ best long-term position. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, for instance, lists him as a tackle and The Athletic’s Dane Brugler lists him as a guard.

What that type of positional versatility can do is give the Packers a third option as their long-term left tackle alongside Walker and Morgan.

With 32 7/8-inch arms, Morgan’s lack of length was a big story during last year’s draft. It’s why most experts thought he would slide inside to guard in the NFL. The Packers, at least for now, insist that is not going to be the case.

But, if they were able to grab Banks, he has the ability to play both inside and out. With 33 1/2-inch arms, Banks was a two-time All-American blind-side protector for the Longhorns.  

For Brugler, Banks (6-5, 315) is the No. 2 guard (behind Alabama’s Tyler Booker) and No. 26 prospect. For Jeremiah, he is the No. 3 tackle and No. 31 prospect.

T Josh Simmons, Ohio State

The Packers hosted Simmons for a predraft visit. After missing the second half of last season with a knee injury, medicals were probably a key reason to bring him to Lambeau.  

Simmons is the No. 20 player on Brugler’s board and No. 37 for Jeremiah. At 6-foot-4 7/8 and 317 pounds with 34 1/8-inch arms, he is likely to stick at tackle in the NFL.

Simmons was the blindside protector for the Buckeyes before a torn patellar tendon knocked him out for the season before Halloween. He allowed just one pressure before the injury and should be ready for the start of training camp, at the latest.

Because of the injury, the Packers could potentially steal a prospect that would have been selected long before their spot at No. 23 had he been healthy.

With the presence of Morgan and Walker, the Packers could be cautious to make sure Simmons is 100 percent ready before being asked to protect Green Bay’s franchise quarterback.

T Josh Conerly, Oregon

Josh Conerly Jr. is another prototypical offensive tackle. He is Brugler’s No. 23 prospect and Jeremiah’s No. 39 player. At 6-foot-4 5/8 and 311 pounds with 34 1/4-inch arms, he has the prototypical length that you’d want from an offensive tackle.

The knock on him is the need to add functional strength, though that’s true of most offensive linemen entering the NFL. Green Bay’s depth at tackle could allow them to be patient for a year before installing Conerly as the team’s left tackle, when they would presumably allow Rasheed Walker to leave during free agency.

His footwork could use some work, as well, but, again, the depth Green Bay possesses at tackle does afford them the ability to be patient.

Day 2

G/T Donovan Jackson, Ohio State

Typically, the Packers have had linemen shift from tackle to guard. Jackson’s final season at Ohio State saw him go the other way. Following Simmons’ knee injury, Jackson moved from left guard to left tackle to be Will Howard’s blindside protector.

Jackson flourished in the role and really came into his own during the team’s College Football Playoff run. Brugler listed him as a tackle while Jeremiah views him as a “top-tier” guard. He has true versatility with good film at both positions.

The Packers love positional versatility and cross-training offensive linemen. Perhaps they could view him in a role similar to the one they saw for Jenkins when they spent a top-50 pick on him in 2019. Jenkins has been one of the best draft picks of Brian Gutekunst’s career, and Jackson could follow in similar footsteps.

G Jonah Savaiinaea, Arizona

Savaiinaea is cut from the same bolt of cloth as many of Green Bay’s offensive linemen as a college offensive tackle that could move to guard in the NFL. While Morgan, his former college teammate, will compete at left tackle in training camp, Savaiinaea’s movement skills best project to guard.

Savaiinaea is heavier than what the Packers have typically targeted on the offensive line, but there appears to be a shift there, with more power being desired for their run game spearheaded by Josh Jacobs.

At 324 pounds, Savaiinaea has the girth to hold up inside if he were to be drafted by the Packers.

T/G Anthony Belton, Maryland

Belton’s nickname is “Escalade,” but he’s much more than just a funny moniker.

He’s big, and he’s imposing.

At 6-foot-6 and 334 pounds with 34 5/8-inch arms, it’s easy to be intimidated by the sheer size that Belton brings to the table. With that size, the Packers might view him as a guard.

The Packers had him in on a predraft visit, which indicates some level of interest. He could provide depth on the interior while becoming a potential replacement for Rhyan in 2026 if the Packers let him leave in free agency.

Day 3

T Logan Brown, Kansas

An athletic offensive lineman with upside? That sounds like a Green Bay offensive lineman that gets taken on the third day of the draft.

Brown started his career at Wisconsin but transferred to Kansas after struggling to find his way. After missing most of his first season in Kansas due to injury, he was second-team all-Big 12 in 2024.

Brown has the size and athleticism to move people in a zone-run scheme, and certainly looks the part of an NFL offensive tackle at 6-foot-6 3/8 and 311 pounds with 33 7/8-inch arms.

If drafted by the Packers in the fourth or fifth round, he could provide competition to Telfort and Glover at the back of the tackle depth chart as a rookie with the potential to develop into a starter.

G John Williams, Cincinnati

Williams, who visited the Packers, was the Bearcats’ two-year starting left tackle. At 6-foot-4 and 322 pounds with 33 7/8-inch arms, the Packers likely see him as a fit at guard, though they have typically loved the positional versatility that comes with the experience of having played tackle.

He allowed just one sack and eight total pressures in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus.

If the Packers were to draft or sign him, he’d be in competition with Kadeem Telfort and 2024 draft picks Jacob Monk and Travis Glover for the final spots on the offensive line.  

C Jacob Bayer, Arkansas State

Bayer is one of the best stories of this draft class. He suffered a torn ACL in April and was back in the starting lineup for the second game of the season.

Bayer had a draft visit with the Packers, the medicals as important as the team getting to learn about him and his play style.

With Myers leaving in free agency and Jenkins’ future uncertain beyond 2025, the Packers could be looking for a long-term solution at center. Bayer, an all-conference performer, is a good pass protector, allowing only one sack coming off his knee injury, according to PFF. He competed at the Senior Bowl, an event the Packers have favored in recent years.

Bayer likely will be a late-round pick the Packers could use to groom for a season before a potential competition opens at center in 2026.