The Green Bay Packers selected Arizona guard/tackle Jordan Morgan with the No. 25 pick in Thursday’s first round of the NFL Draft. The Packers are looking for pieces to build on their playoff season in 2023 and Morgan adds to protection for Jordan Love who emerged as a franchise quarterback.
Morgan moved from quarterback to tackle in high school after growing six inches in roughly a year, proving to be a natural mover with bend and power up front. Morgan started 37 games over five years at Arizona, but also fought through shoulder, ankle and knee injuries that caused him to miss time.
Advertisement
A great athlete with a terrific first step, Morgan does a great job reach-blocking defenders on either side of him in wide zone schemes and has enough athleticism to recover and replant himself in pass protection.
Morgan only played left tackle at Arizona, though his arm length (32 7/8) may force a move inside to guard at the NFL. The injuries are also a concern at this point, as Morgan will be 23 this season.
NFL Draft 2024 tracker: Live blog, pick-by-pick grades and analysis
Big board best available: Who’s left from Dane Brugler’s Top 300?
Draft pick grades: Nick Baumgardner, Scott Dochterman rate the selections
Full draft order: Team picks for all 257 selections
“The Athletic Football Show”: Watch live reaction to the draft
‘The Beast’ breakdown
Morgan ranked No. 29 in Dane Brugler’s Top 300 big board. Here’s what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL Draft guide:
“Morgan struggles to anchor mid-slide versus power, but he is a balanced mover who is well-schooled and physical in all phases. Though he can survive at tackle in the NFL, his skill set projects much better inside at guard, similar to Matthew Bergeron.”
Why he’s a first-round pick
An experienced, tough offensive lineman with great knowledge and want-to in the run game, Morgan is another college tackle who feels ready to slide inside and start at guard for someone right away next year. Versatility is also a factor here.
the first (real) rep between Jordan Morgan and Laiatu Latu was a fun one pic.twitter.com/rqCJHTjIql
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) March 7, 2024
How he fits
According to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, Morgan’s skill set projects far better in the NFL at guard than tackle. Morgan started all 33 games he played for Arizona the last three seasons at left tackle, so he provides versatility for a Green Bay offensive line that needs it. Rasheed Walker, a 2022 seventh-round pick, is the incumbent left tackle after playing about 78 percent of the offensive snaps last season following David Bakhtiari’s season-ending injury. The Packers appear confident in Walker starting on quarterback Jordan Love’s blind side, but they have a bigger question at right guard, where Morgan could also play.
Advertisement
Rookie impact
General manager Brian Gutekunst said this offseason he wants competition along the offensive line. The only long-term certainties are Elgton Jenkins and Zach Tom. Morgan isn’t guaranteed to start just because he’s a first-round pick, but he’ll at least compete for one or more spots in the starting lineup, most likely against Walker and/or Sean Rhyan, who split snaps with the departed Jon Runyan Jr. at right guard. The Packers also need more depth at both tackle and interior offensive line and Morgan provides insurance at both.
Depth-chart impact
The Packers recently signed former Eagles first-round pick Andre Dillard for depth at offensive tackle, but ESPN reported that Dillard signed a one-year, veteran minimum deal. Essentially, Dillard shouldn’t stand in the way of Morgan’s rise up the depth chart if the Packers want him to play tackle, but he might have a cleaner path to start inside given the uncertainty surrounding Rhyan’s potential as a starter and the fact that Royce Newman is the only depth piece with experience on the interior of the offensive line.
They also could have picked …
Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean was the most commonly mocked player to the Packers in the pre-draft process and he was still on the board at No. 25. Gutekunst showered DeJean with praise in his pre-draft press conference earlier in the week, but he passed on a guy who could fill needs at safety and cornerback. Versatile Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton, who played left tackle and center in college, was also on the board and went No. 26 to the Buccaneers.
Fast evaluation
Now that the Packers appear to have their franchise quarterback, priority No. 1 becomes protecting him for what they hope is the next decade-plus. They hadn’t taken an offensive lineman in the first round since 2011, the draft after which they won the Super Bowl, but they nab Morgan in hopes he can be a cornerstone to keep Love upright for the foreseeable future.
(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)