When the Green Bay Packers selected Jordan Morgan out of Arizona in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, there were a questions about not only the value of the selection â some believed the team should have opted for the safer and high upside interior offensive lineman Graham Barton, who was taken by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the very next pick.
Others believed that his middling arm length, which comes in at 32 7/8 inches, just below the 33-inch general baseline minimum desired for offensive tackles, could force to move inside as a pro.
Whilst in the offseason team some analysts have expressed the position as one that could be a concern for the organization in 2026, Green Bay still have faith in their third year player, demonstrated by them declining to re-sign former left tackle Rasheed Walker, who would have cost the team just $4 million per year (the size of his current deal with his new employers, the Carolina Panthers).
And it seems like there is another valuable name firmly in Thomas’ camp. Speaking on the Wilde and Tausch radio show on Friday May 22, Hall of Fame tackle Joe Thomas gave a ringing endorsement of the Packers’ and shared his belief that the 24-year old can be a quality starter in the league on the exterior of the offensive line.
Joe Thomas Showers Praise Onto Jordan Morgan
“Jordan Morgan, he’s a great athlete, and he’s got exceptional footwork. He’s powerful, I was sitting there waiting to give him a bunch of tips about things I thought he could do a better job of â we watched film that morning…We talked about a few things in general but overall I was impressed with how he moved, the fastidiousness with which he approached his craft.
The 10-time Pro Bowler complemented Morgan’s physical workout on the field, including both his athletic prowess and his technical fundamentals.
“I thought that everything I saw on the field was just impressive with where he placed his hands. Now it was on a bag, granted but I thought that he was just doing a really good job with that footwork, that technique, that hand-placement. Just the focus that he was playing with, how quick he was moving; getting up to the second level with his combination blocks.”
Could Morgan Head A New Offensive Line Era in Green Bay?
Indeed, Thomas saved perhaps his biggest complement for the end of the segment, where he revealed his belief that Morgan and the rest of the unit have a chance to anchor large parts of the offense, rather than simply keeping up with it.
“I think the offensive line is going to be one of their strengths this year.”
Although the unit will retain four of the five starters to end the 2025, 2026 feels like the completion of the changing of the guard. Both high draft picks, Morgan and guard Anthony Belton, are firmly entrenched in the starting lineup. And veterans Zach Tom, Aaron Banks and Sean Rhyan make up the senior members of the unit.
In Belton and Banks the Packers boast greater physicality at the point of attack on the interior than at almost any point over the past decade, and if Morgan can prove himself to be a high level player there is no question that this can be a top-10 unit in the NFL.
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