Packers Daily: Sean Rhyan's Trial by Fire Could Pay Off in a Big Way
Sean Rhyan was thrust into the starting center role last year and it was very much trial by fire. After a full offseason as the Packers starting center, he should hit the ground running in 2026.
By PackerAaron
Comments (3)
Leatherhead
July 02, 2026 at 06:44 pm
Rhyan is an interesting guy. He played a bunch of positions in college and we drafted him on Day 2. Sadly,he he had problems as a rookie and he only played one game and was suspended for several games, but he was better and played in 12 games the next year where he mostly rotated in at RG. Next year , he was a solid 17 game starter who played 90% of the snaps. Then last year, he shifted over to Center and played well, got rewarded with a second contract, and now is one of the veteran anchors on the line and should be for the next couple of years.
I would consider this a real good draft choice for the Packers, even if he's never an All-Pro. I would also mention him as being a clear example of a YOUNG guy who just wasn't ready physically or emotionally to be a professional football player, but if you work with him he'll end up paying dividends.
It does remind me of the military. You graduate from the Academy and you're a 22 year old butterbar and your first year or so is mostly training on how do to do your job. After a few years, you get promoted, and after a few more years, you become a Captain, and by then, you're in charge and the expectations are higher. Expecting these guys to dominate older, more experienced, more physically mature opponents is just unrealistic, IMO.
Duneslick
July 02, 2026 at 11:35 pm
Ryan was barely adequate as a guard in his 2nd season and was at the very bottom of starting centers last year. I am hoping he will continue to improve but he has not played well compared to starters in the league
Turophile
July 03, 2026 at 03:19 am
Come on Duneslick, at least get his name right.
Generally considered a better prospect at center than guard. Above average run blocker. Below average pass protector. Overall grade 58.5 - 59.0 where an average starter is 60 or more.
Should improve with an entire offseason to learn the finer details on playing Center and the Packers do want run blockers, given how much LaFleur emphasises the run. The Packers recent increased attempts to get bigger, more physical guys on the O line is a key indicator of this.
He can be a perfectly good center if his pass pro improves - and as a center he will often get help from one of the guards beside him. His arrrow is still up - and with an admittedly small sample size, center looks like his best spot, but this will be a key year for him.
I'd guess he will probably never become as good as Corey Linsley was ............... but he might.