Packers Rookie Jager Burton Has a Chance To Make an Impact as a Rookie
By GilMartin
The Green Bay Packers have a good history of adding starting offensive linemen on day three of the NFL draft. Players like David Bakhtiari, Zach Tom, Jon Runyan, Jr., Corey Linsley, and Josh Sitton went on to become solid starters or even Pro Bowl players after being selected in the later rounds of the draft. Some of them stepped in almost immediately and became starters as rookies or shortly thereafter. The Packers are hopeful that this year’s fifth-round pick, Jager Burton, can go on to play a meaningful role early in his Packers career and at least provide the team with solid depth along the interior of the offensive line in 2026 and beyond.
Because Tom has not been practicing as he recovers from his patellar injury suffered last season, Burton has seen some time with the starters at OTAs. The Packers lack of depth along the interior offensive line means that with a successful training camp and preseason, Burton could become the team’s top backup at center and both guard positions.
Burton provides the Packers with the versatility they prefer in their offensive linemen. The 6’4”, 323-pound Kentucky alum started multiple games at all three interior offensive line positions during his time in college. He started nine games at right guard, 23 games at left guard and 15 at center.
Burton wasn’t sure which position was his strongest. “Honestly I think it’s pretty comparable,” he said this week when asked about it after OTAs. “I know that’s probably a boring answer, but I feel like I have strengths at both and obviously weaknesses at both. So just kind of ironing out both of them and being ready to compete at any position.”
Right now, the Packers have questions at all three starting positions along the interior offensive line. Starting left guard Aaron Banks had a disappointing first season in Green Bay in large part due to several nagging injuries that he often played through.
Sean Rhyan returns as the starting center. He started last year at guard but moved to center when Elgton Jenkins was lost for the season due to injury. Rhyan didn’t grade out very highly according to Pro Football Focus, although the Packers like his attitude and toughness. The coaching staff feels he improved as the season progressed but entering this season, he is far from being a Pro Bowl-caliber center.
The starting right guard will be 2025 second-round pick Anthony Belton. Belton played tackle in college and made the transition to guard after injuries struck along the offensive line last year. Like Rhyan, he didn’t grade out well according to Pro Football Focus, but the coaching staff feels he got better as the season progressed and he got more playing time at his new position.
With Banks coming off a disappointing season and both Rhyan and Belton not considered elite starters, Burton has a chance to claim a role as the swing interior offensive lineman right away and to step in and start if injuries strike or any of the three starters struggles. His main competition as the swing interior offensive line spot will be Jacob Monk who has played fewer than 60 snaps total on offense in his first two seasons with the team.
Burton has looked good early in OTAs, but again, the team is not practicing in pads or going full speed yet. The early returns are positive, but Burton has a way to go before claiming any kind of role in the offense as a rookie. Still, the early good play and lack of depth at the position give Burton an opportunity to claim a bigger role than most fifth-round picks play as rookies. Now we’ll see if he’s ready to take advantage of that opportunity.
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Comments (29)
TKWorldWide
June 04, 2026 at 06:56 am
Looks like he can push the IOL to be better, or at least provide a decent depth piece. They’ll get a better indication once the pads come on.
Coldworld
June 04, 2026 at 07:28 am
There are a lot of individuals who might have a chance to make this OL better. He is one. He got some time with the 1s the other day but had some struggles. So far I’d say Williams is probably ahead of him, but who cares, it’s shorts time. A chance to look at technique, but not much more. I wish they’d just leave Belton at G and Glover at T though. This mastery of multiple positions is great, but I’d rather have them good at one first, especially if they may start there or be first up at it.
SicSemperTyrannis
June 04, 2026 at 09:36 am
A chance to look at technique is important! How much that improves as a result, much moreso. Hopefully our coaches are on it, and everybody's technique improves by A LOT. We're going to need depth at O line, and should be swimming in it ...
T7Steve
June 04, 2026 at 05:49 pm
Yes. Master one position then worry about others. The starters seem to be able to shuffle easier and the backup can play his best position when necessary.
dobber
June 04, 2026 at 07:54 am
Burton has a direct path to snaps because the OL depth is that "unproven"...I prefer the word "thin". We'll see what the Packers think of their depth when we get into camp, and if they start making moves to shore up the 53 (a la Kinnard last season). They still don't have any kind of depth at LT.
Guam
June 04, 2026 at 08:33 am
"They still don't have any kind of depth at LT."
Spot on Dobber and my biggest concern about this edition of the Packers. If Morgan doesn't work out or gets injured, it will be a disaster as there is no clear plan for a replacement LT. I really hope Gute spends some of his available cap space on a veteran, backup LT prior to the start of the season.
golfpacker61
June 04, 2026 at 09:14 am
It's an oddity Guam, but almost every O-lineman on the Packers has played LT in college, most of them extensively. We know how GB loves to move people around and then there is that whole arm length thing. Even though he got shoved into the RG position, I think Belton is our best option for swing tackle. He was also a starting LT at N C State.
Burton really gives us a solid option inside and unless Belton makes a jump, I can see Burton moving there. He also is a great option if Rhyan doesn't get better. If Banks contract wouldn't have been restructured, GB could have moved away from him too, but it looks like we are stuck with Banks until 2028. According to this article Burton gained 10 lbs.
Just maybe our OL depth isn't as bad as advertised. Not much experience but most of the backups played the most important position, LT, a lot of snaps in college. There is no substitute for experience though, which is why I worry about the Edge rushers in general.
Guam
June 05, 2026 at 07:46 am
Unfortunately playing LT in college doesn't necessarily mean they can play LT in the pros. Many college left tackles get drafted as they are usually the best athletes on their O-line, but they lack the quick feet or long arms required to play tackle at the NFL level and get moved inside to an IOL position in the pros. Ted Thompson made a career out of drafting college left tackles and moving them to guard.
I think Belton could be a mauler at guard, but I am concerned he lacks the quick feet to play tackle in the NFL. I think speed rushers could give him a very hard time in pass protection.
SicSemperTyrannis
June 04, 2026 at 09:39 am
Of our 16 O linemen currently on the roster, at least half of them played T in College. None of them are proven in the NFL, but I don't think there's any lack of talent. Spotlight on the coaching staff, who should be able to improve everyone's technique and help them all develop otherwise, too.
Coldworld
June 04, 2026 at 10:23 am
It’s kind of ironic that the one who is apparently the second one up (if it’s not Tom), Brant Banks, was one of the few who were not: he was a RT. Conversely Tom was a LT and ended up at RT.
Banks was very good last year but only against depth. It will be very interesting to see how he looks through camp and preseason, but he was my out-of-nowhere future potential prospect that impressed last summer and preseason. So 8 or so former LTs and Banks.
Would I feel better if we had a known journeyman? Not really. Maybe we should see if Nijman wants to unretire, because he’s probably as good or better than most journeymen LTs we are likely to get. Let’s be honest, there’s a fair chance we’ve got as good already though.
The reality is, emergency tackles available now are unlikely to be any better than those that the approach to cut down brings (such as Kinnard) anyway. We might as well give those we have a chance to stake a claim first. Who knows, Karsen Barnhart (an unheralded late season PS pick up) has been at RT with the seconds during OTAs. I had never even considered him as a genuine contender, and I’m betting most here hadn’t either.
Guam
June 05, 2026 at 07:56 am
I agree that the reserve swing tackles available in free agency now don't look like an answer. However Gute has a plethora of day three picks this year and could use one of them to pry loose a veteran swing tackle from another team if none of the youngsters show promise in TC.
GreenandBold
June 04, 2026 at 08:21 am
I’m rooting for this kid obviously the Packers need more impact starters on the line hoping he really comes on strong during TC. But I know he’s just a rookie so that might be a stretch.
LeotisHarris
June 04, 2026 at 08:37 am
"But I know he’s just a rookie so that might be a stretch."
Where did you hear he's a rookie?
Lare
June 04, 2026 at 08:53 am
We’ll see how Burton does once the pads come on. Everyone was high on Monk too and that hasn’t really panned out.
It would be nice if they gave Burton some better coaching than other OL have gotten.
SicSemperTyrannis
June 04, 2026 at 09:42 am
It would be nice if all our player development improved as compared to the past several years. It may be true this need is most glaring at O line, but we see signs of this being a problem all over the field except QB.
And Monk didn't do too bad in one game last year, it wouldn't surprise me if he's ahead of Jager on the depth chart at C.
stockholder
June 04, 2026 at 09:01 am
Give Kinnard a chance to start.
jannesbjornson
June 04, 2026 at 02:46 pm
The next time he whiffs on a block, like the Austin Booker head shot, Love may not get up from the ground.
golfpacker61
June 04, 2026 at 09:21 am
"Kinnard" hasn't fared that well when he has played, but he is a hell of a TE, LOL.I can see us adding 1 FA OL to the mix if we find the right guy. Although the UDFA from Auburn has not been mentioned either.
SicSemperTyrannis
June 04, 2026 at 09:50 am
Of the 16 O linemen currently on the roster, we've never seen most of them. We have no idea what they've got, other than they look good on paper and showed talent in College. We do have veteran leadership in the room. I think a FA signing at TE who can block well and at least be a viable receiving option would help us win more games so that should be a higher priority, as this also effects the O line which is definitely my biggest concern on the team.
Coldworld
June 04, 2026 at 10:33 am
Kinnard is really a G at this level athletically, as the Eagles had concluded. I’d actually be very interested in him playing G. As a T we can and must do better, but he is a good game day emergency option and TE.
Leatherhead
June 04, 2026 at 11:45 am
Unfortunately for Kinnard, I've been watching, and re-watching, and studying the Denver game recently. The Packer team that took the field was already without Jenkins, Kraft, and Wyatt, but they absolutely took it to a very good Bronco team in their own house. However, the Packers lost Parsons and Tom to injury and we couldn't overcome it and we lost the game.
It was the pivotal game of our season,IMO. The team that took the field was one of the better teams in the NFL, but the team that left Denver wasn't as good.
Kinnard was called to replace Tom. Now, Tom is a pretty good RT, and he has been for a while. You look at what Hutchinson or Bosa get done against him. When Parsons was in Dallas, he didn't get much done against him. Tom is good. So anybody you replace him with is going to be a step down.
So I've tried to be generous to Kinnard, but I just see possession after possession sabotaged by our inability to get people blocked over on that right side. We had our backup C, a backup RG, and Tom, and it worked, but you put Kinnard in there and all of a sudden,the RG isn't as good anymore. So now we have a problem over there, and it was a problem for the rest of the season, and our offense didn't work, and we didn't win any more games.
IMO, we simply have to have better backups than Kinnard.
Guam
June 05, 2026 at 07:50 am
I concur about Kinnard at tackle LH. I think he can be a decent reserve IOL, but the Packers need a reserve swing tackle very badly. Unless Glover, Banks or someone else take a big jump, I think the swing tackle spot is a significant weakness. I wouldn't mind seeing Gute trade one of his many day three draft picks for a veteran reserve tackle.
LambeauPlain
June 04, 2026 at 09:42 am
Even if Burton outplays Rhyan and/or Belton in camp/preseason, I doubt LaFleur, Stenovich and Butkus would start him vs the Ugly Purple. Maybe a surprise is coming.
At best, maybe some musical chairs for the Rookie at C or RG. That's the status quo option.
SicSemperTyrannis
June 04, 2026 at 09:56 am
I hope they keep the "best 5" set barring any obvious and major upset at camp forcing a change for the better. Let them gel. Competition for depth behind them has a very real chance of determining the success of the season.
I'd like to see them all do so well that it makes MLF's decision really hard. More likely at least one will emerge as the obvious cut candidate; cutting 3 total leaves us some combination of 13 between the 53 and PS, which sounds about right.
Leatherhead
June 04, 2026 at 11:46 am
I don't think a Day 3 rookie is going to come in and beat out veterans right out of the box.
THESZOTMAN1
June 04, 2026 at 10:40 am
Hope the kid can contribute if needed.. And in a LONG season, he's going to be needed.
The Szotman
Leatherhead
June 04, 2026 at 10:43 am
We're hoping a Day 3 rookie can come in and matchup against Hutchinson and Bosa in the playoffs.
Cheezehead72
June 04, 2026 at 10:49 am
This is what I want. Determine the position the lineman plays the best. Then find your best one at each position and start those. I do not care how much money he makes. Then you develop plans on who will replace a player during a game. And you develop a plans for replacing players injured for longer periods.
Duneslick
June 04, 2026 at 11:27 am
The athletic quick players always look good in TC without pads. Once the pads come un now you see the real ability of the players and attributes like strength and leverage ETC are gaged. Burton is athletic. Need to see if he has the strength ETC to compete