Which offensive linemen in the 2021 NFL Draft fit the Packers’ athletic preferences?

The Green Bay Packers have a type when it comes to offensive linemen. In short, they want linemen with quick feet, and they have for a long time, particularly at offensive tackle. Additionally, the team has historically drafted players with extensive experience blocking on the quarterback’s blind side, regardless of what position they project to play in the NFL.

The latter quality — being a college left tackle — has been somewhat less of a priority for the team since Brian Gutekunst took over as general manager. Under Ted Thompson, the Packers drafted two players who were not blind-side tackles: Corey Linsley and Caleb Schlauderaff. Gutekunst has now drafted four in his three drafts: Cole Madison (right tackle moved to guard), Elgton Jenkins (center/guard/right tackle moved to guard), Simon Stepaniak (guard) and Jake Hanson (center).

Clearly, the Packers’ rigidity in drafting left tackles is waning. Additionally, the team has seemingly been a bit more flexible in terms of their athletic requirements for interior linemen in the Gutekunst area, though Stepaniak and Hanson did not have full workouts before last year’s draft thanks to injuries.

Still, some trends still hold up well. The Packers almost exclusively draft linemen with 3-cone times of 7.70 seconds or faster and shuttle times of 4.75 seconds or faster. Only a few draft picks on the line since Thompson took over have documented times slower than that. Jenkins is one with a 3-cone 7.77, though he had an overall RAS of 9.59 as a guard and had a shuttle time well under the 4.75 cutoff. The two big outliers are Madison and Jamon Meredith back in 2009, both 5th-round picks who seemingly did not fit any of the team’s timing preferences and can be excluded as oddities.

Therefore, the preferred cutoffs we will use for the 2021 draft class will remain at the 7.70/4.75 mark, with some consideration given to borderline players who are within a tenth of a second of one of the cutoffs but have a strong athletic profile otherwise.

Here are the players who project at offensive tackle who would fit. Note that Penei Sewell is the one tackle who is on the borderline at one of the agility measurements but still carries an overall RAS above 8.

As for interior linemen, the Packers appear to have a height cutoff. To be fair, they have a limit for tackles as well, but most tackles are at least 6-foot-4 and are clear of the Packers’ minimum. The shortest lineman Green Bay has drafted in the last 15 years was Corey Linsley at 6025, so anything shorter than 6024 is off our list.

Using the same numbers as above, here are the players projected as interior linemen who fit the Packers’ numbers. Note that there is one borderline player in Trey Smith, who misses slightly on the shuttle time but makes up for it in his overall athleticism:

If the Packers pass up on linemen early, there should be some intriguing targets in rounds three through seven. Watch for names like Brady Christensen or Robert Hainsey around the end of day two or early on day three. Nebraska’s Brendan Jaimes looks like a great fit in the middle of day three and he had a confirmed meeting with the Packers earlier this spring. Cole Van Lanen from Wisconsin would be a good fit as well as a late-round pick.

Most of the top names in this class are top names for a reason — they’re great on tape but also have great physical tools. The later round players to watch are these elite athletes who have yet to harness their physical potential, and that’s where the Packers love to strike. Keep these lists handy on Saturday.