Picking the perfect Round 5 draft target for the Packers after the 2024 NFL Combine
Can you name an NFL franchise so used to get mid- to late-round offensive linemen and develop them into high-level starters like the Green Bay Packers? David Bakhtiari, Josh Sitton, TJ Lang, Corey Linsley, Zach Tom, Rasheed Walker. The list goes on and on. And right now, with Yosh Nijman and Jon Runyan slated to […]
Can you name an NFL franchise so used to get mid- to late-round offensive linemen and develop them into high-level starters like the Green Bay Packers? David Bakhtiari, Josh Sitton, TJ Lang, Corey Linsley, Zach Tom, Rasheed Walker. The list goes on and on.
And right now, with Yosh Nijman and Jon Runyan slated to hit the market, offensive line depth is certainly in Brian Gutekunst’s mind.
In this exercise, we have already utilized a second-round pick to select Graham Barton, but Gutekunst has a long track record of getting multiple linemen in the same class.
He did that in 2020 (Jon Runyan, Jake Hanson, Simon Stepaniak), 2021 (Josh Myers, Royce Newman, Cole Van Lanen), and 2022 (Sean Rhyan, Zach Tom, Rasheed Walker). After not taking any offensive linemen in 2023, I'm pretty sure Gutekunst really wants to get back to his roots.
To make this exercise of analyzing who is the perfect target for each pick, we used The Athletic’s Consensus Big Board to the top 100, and the NFL Mock Draft Database for later picks.
The Packers don’t have their original fifth-round pick because they packaged it with Rasul Douglas to get a third from the Bills, but they are expected to receive a fifth-rounder for losing Allen Lazard in free agency.
Pick 168 (compensatory) – C Mason McCormick, South Dakota State (182nd)
He played at center in college, but during the Shrine Bowl he also practiced at guard. His versatility and ability to climb to the second level are intriguing points in his profile. McCormick was the 166th player on the consensus board when we initially made this exercise, and then fell to 182nd.
The interior offensive lineman had a strong performance during the NFL Combine, and just like the Packers love, he had elite grades in terms of speed, explosion, and agility.
Moreover, McCormick's measurements are more than good enough for a projected guard — his arm length, for example, would qualify for what the Packers tend to look for with tackles.
The Packers have a clear need at right guard, and McCormick could enter a competition with Barton (who was previously picked in our exercise) and Sean Rhyan.
Furthermore, the team is not totally set at center either. Since being a second-round pick in 2021, Josh Myers has been a below average center, with a lot of ups and downs — something particularly troubling for an offensive lineman. And Myers is entering the last year of his rookie deal.
In that scenario, Mason McCormick is a much more intriguing option.
Plan B: LB Tyrice Knight, UTEP (167th)
Josh Myers is losing his grip on Packers’ starting center job
The Packers’ third-year starter is literally fumbling away a great opportunity.
