January 20, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Green Bay Packers guard Royce Newman (70), guard Jon Runyan (76), and guard Sean Rhyan (75) before a 2024 NFC divisional round game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

UCLA's Sean Rhyan Helped Pave the Way For Packers' Big Year on the Ground

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI | By Brock Vierra | Last updated Feb 21, 2025 4:00 PM ET

The Green Bay Packers are a funny franchise. Despite playing in the frozen tundra, they have three Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks play their prime years for them, and that's just since the merger. However their overall success as a team comes from when they effectively run the ball, something they did this previous season.

Former UCLA offensive lineman Sean Rhyan knows this fact way too well as, despite having Jordan Love as his quarterback, he was part of an offensive line unit that helped Josh Jacobs and Emanuel Wilson combine for over 1,700 rushing yards and over 2,400 yards from the Packers in total during the 2024 season.

Rhyan's work and the team's production saw Pro Football Focus include both Jacobs and Wilson in their top 12 highest-graded running backs list. Jacobs was third, and Wilson was 12th.

"Jacobs is leaving his mark on the game, now joining Adrian Peterson (2007 and 2012) and Derrick Henry (2020 and 2024) as the only backs to hold two seasons that have surpassed a 91.0 overall offensive grade since 2006." wrote PFF's Mason Cameron. "However, only Henry and Jacobs have done so for two different franchises. While Jacobs was statistically better on the ground in 2022, it was his elevation as a receiver out of the backfield – and accompanying evasiveness – that set him apart, as he led the NFL in total missed tackles forced (102)."

Jacobs was a force but teams would dial in on stopping him when he would take the field, limiting his production but opening up opportunities for success in the passing game. Wilson, on the other hand, would be gifted opportunities by defenses that didn't respect his game.

Defenses would drop into coverage when Wilson was on the field and with Rhyan and the Green Bay line, holes would open 5-7 yards downfield with Wilson eloquently finding pockets of space with his underrated vision.

"While this may seem like a surprise entry onto this list, anyone familiar with Wilson’s game will understand why he deserves the praise," Cameron wrote. "Playing behind Josh Jacobs in the Packers’ backfield left few opportunities for the former undrafted back out of Fort Valley State. However, with the ball in his hands, Wilson exceeded all expectations. His 86.4 PFF rushing grade landed in the top-10 at the running back position this season – with his 106 carries just barely making it over the qualifying threshold. A credit to Wilson’s exceptional vision and contact balance, which allowed him to generate 0.26 missed tackles forced per attempt, tying Jahmyr Gibbs for seventh-most in the NFL last season."

A big bonus for Rhyan as he enters a contract year.

This article first appeared on UCLA Bruins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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