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The Green Bay Packers offensive line was a disappointment in 2025, and adding more competition to the room may well be on the agenda in this year’s draft, as the Packers look to find their "best five" ahead of the new season.
They have had a knack for unearthing O-line gems on Day 3 of the draft over the years, and that could be the waters they are fishing in once again, due to the investments they have already made and the makeup of this draft class.
The Packers have leaned towards experienced college offensive linemen in the Ted Thompson/Brian Gutekunst era, as well as valuing certain physical dimensions and athletic traits.
On the traits side of things, their offensive tackle picks have generally ranged between 6-4 and 6-6, with a couple of exceptions as short as 6-3 ½ (like Josh Sitton) or as tall as 6-7 (Breno Giacomini).
It seems there is such a thing as "too tall" for the Packers at offensive tackle, which stems from the fact it is possible to be too tall to play guard. Green Bay likes the flexibility to move their linemen around, often taking college tackles and kicking them to guard.
They have drafted offensive tackles as light as 299 pounds (including David Bakhtiari) and as heavy as 336 pounds (Anthony Belton). Regardless of their size, a certain level of athleticism needs to be present, although it is a bit of a sliding scale depending on whether a prospect is bigger or smaller.
Packers draft picks since 2005 have had average testing of 5.15 in the 40 (a 78th percentile score), a 1.77 10-yard split (83rd percentile), 4.68 in the shuttle (74th percentile), 7.71 in the 3-cone and 29" in the vertical jump (both 71st percentile). Those seem to be the most important drills.
Combining testing with the experience they are looking for, here are the best fits in the 2026 NFL Draft who played mostly tackle in college, ranked between No. 30 and 350 on the consensus big board along with their ranking:
The first thing to notice is that there are no players ranked in the top 100. Green Bay is highly unlikely to have access to any prospect projected to go in the first 30 picks, and the next few players are not their usual type.
Arizona State’s Max Iheanachor (ranked 36th) has only played right tackle and does not have that much experience. It is a similar case with Iowa’s Gennings Dunker (60th).
Although Dunker has started for three years, the only player the Packers have drafted who was exclusively a right tackle (Cole Madison in the fifth round in 2018) had over 3,800 snaps as a four-year starter.
Royce Newman (fourth round in 2021) is the only other primary right tackle they have drafted out of 25, and he had experience at three other offensive line spots and almost 900 snaps at guard, which Dunker does not have.
The likes of Caleb Tiernan from Northwestern and Dametrious Crownover from Texas A&M are likely too tall to potentially play guard if they do not pan out at tackle, which could be an issue for the Packers.
That means if Green Bay is going to take a college tackle, they are likely to be shopping on Day 3.
Parker II played both left and right tackle at Duke, and although he has not played there yet, is projected as a center at the next level. He is exactly the kind of versatile offensive linemen the Packers usually like.
Zuhn III is in the same mold, with over 3,100 snaps at left tackle for the Aggies, but projecting inside to center, where he has played a little over 100 snaps. Taylor spent time at every O-line spot except for center for Boston College and could also provide valuable flexibility.
There is a discrepancy with World’s height, as the Oregon tackle is listed at just under 6-5 ½ in Dane Brugler’s draft guide, but 6-7 ½ elsewhere. If the former is the accurate measurement, he could be in play, although a torn ACL in January of this year means he has not been able to test.
Barnett is a little undersized at around 6-3 ⅔, putting him more in the Josh Sitton build, but he is extremely athletic. He has experience at right tackle and right guard, and projects to play inside at the next level.
Cruz Jr. is another elite athlete and has played both left and right tackle in his college career. Missouri pass rusher and potential first-round pick Zion Young said he liked Cruz’s game when asked to name his toughest opponents at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Onianwa is reportedly visiting with the Packers pre-draft and has very similar dimensions and testing to Belton. He played left and right tackle for several years at Rice before transferring to OSU last year, where he lost the right tackle battle in training camp and served as a backup.
Time will tell if Green Bay can find another diamond in the rough on Day 3 via one of these prospects.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers prospects: 11 best offensive tackle fits in 2026 NFL Draft
Continue reading...
They have had a knack for unearthing O-line gems on Day 3 of the draft over the years, and that could be the waters they are fishing in once again, due to the investments they have already made and the makeup of this draft class.
The Packers have leaned towards experienced college offensive linemen in the Ted Thompson/Brian Gutekunst era, as well as valuing certain physical dimensions and athletic traits.
On the traits side of things, their offensive tackle picks have generally ranged between 6-4 and 6-6, with a couple of exceptions as short as 6-3 ½ (like Josh Sitton) or as tall as 6-7 (Breno Giacomini).
It seems there is such a thing as "too tall" for the Packers at offensive tackle, which stems from the fact it is possible to be too tall to play guard. Green Bay likes the flexibility to move their linemen around, often taking college tackles and kicking them to guard.
They have drafted offensive tackles as light as 299 pounds (including David Bakhtiari) and as heavy as 336 pounds (Anthony Belton). Regardless of their size, a certain level of athleticism needs to be present, although it is a bit of a sliding scale depending on whether a prospect is bigger or smaller.
Packers draft picks since 2005 have had average testing of 5.15 in the 40 (a 78th percentile score), a 1.77 10-yard split (83rd percentile), 4.68 in the shuttle (74th percentile), 7.71 in the 3-cone and 29" in the vertical jump (both 71st percentile). Those seem to be the most important drills.
Combining testing with the experience they are looking for, here are the best fits in the 2026 NFL Draft who played mostly tackle in college, ranked between No. 30 and 350 on the consensus big board along with their ranking:
- Brian Parker II - Duke (113)
- Austin Barber - Florida (122)
- Kage Casey - Boise State (126)
- Trey Zuhn III - Texas A&M (128)
- Diego Pounds - Ole Miss (157)
- J.C. Davis - Illinois (172)
- Drew Shelton - Penn State (196)
- Carver Willis - Washington (199)
- Logan Taylor - Boston College (207)
- Caden Barnett - Wyoming (249)
- Fernando Carmona - Arkansas (256)
- Enrique Cruz Jr. - Kansas (264)
- Ethan Onianwa - Ohio State (341)
The first thing to notice is that there are no players ranked in the top 100. Green Bay is highly unlikely to have access to any prospect projected to go in the first 30 picks, and the next few players are not their usual type.
Arizona State’s Max Iheanachor (ranked 36th) has only played right tackle and does not have that much experience. It is a similar case with Iowa’s Gennings Dunker (60th).
Although Dunker has started for three years, the only player the Packers have drafted who was exclusively a right tackle (Cole Madison in the fifth round in 2018) had over 3,800 snaps as a four-year starter.
Royce Newman (fourth round in 2021) is the only other primary right tackle they have drafted out of 25, and he had experience at three other offensive line spots and almost 900 snaps at guard, which Dunker does not have.
The likes of Caleb Tiernan from Northwestern and Dametrious Crownover from Texas A&M are likely too tall to potentially play guard if they do not pan out at tackle, which could be an issue for the Packers.
That means if Green Bay is going to take a college tackle, they are likely to be shopping on Day 3.
Parker II played both left and right tackle at Duke, and although he has not played there yet, is projected as a center at the next level. He is exactly the kind of versatile offensive linemen the Packers usually like.
Zuhn III is in the same mold, with over 3,100 snaps at left tackle for the Aggies, but projecting inside to center, where he has played a little over 100 snaps. Taylor spent time at every O-line spot except for center for Boston College and could also provide valuable flexibility.
There is a discrepancy with World’s height, as the Oregon tackle is listed at just under 6-5 ½ in Dane Brugler’s draft guide, but 6-7 ½ elsewhere. If the former is the accurate measurement, he could be in play, although a torn ACL in January of this year means he has not been able to test.
Barnett is a little undersized at around 6-3 ⅔, putting him more in the Josh Sitton build, but he is extremely athletic. He has experience at right tackle and right guard, and projects to play inside at the next level.
Cruz Jr. is another elite athlete and has played both left and right tackle in his college career. Missouri pass rusher and potential first-round pick Zion Young said he liked Cruz’s game when asked to name his toughest opponents at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Onianwa is reportedly visiting with the Packers pre-draft and has very similar dimensions and testing to Belton. He played left and right tackle for several years at Rice before transferring to OSU last year, where he lost the right tackle battle in training camp and served as a backup.
Time will tell if Green Bay can find another diamond in the rough on Day 3 via one of these prospects.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers prospects: 11 best offensive tackle fits in 2026 NFL Draft
Continue reading...
