If you've been around dogs for a considerable amount of time, you know that they have their trigger words and noises. When they hear these words they'll perk up, maybe tilt their heads in your direction, or begin excitedly dancing around the room. There are common words like "walk" or "treat" but with one of my dogs, she'll perk up and tilt her head if you say the word "itchy." I've never figured out why, but seeing her reaction every time is fun. Packers GM Brian Gutekunst obviously isn't a dog, but if he were, I have a feeling his trigger word would be "versatile." Gute loves his versatile players who can be placed at several different positions on offense or defense.  Not only does it increase their value for game planning, but it also helps fill voids when injuries strike. 

In the first round of this year's draft, the Packers selected Left Tackle, Jordan Morgan. At first glance, you'd think Morgan is a left tackle and that's it—37 collegiate starts at left tackle, and nowhere else. With the team finally parting ways with All-Pro lineman, David Bakhtiari, it would be pretty fitting for them to take a left tackle early, plug them in and take off. But the Packers have depth on their offensive line, they don't just plug and go. They want to make sure that when they take the field on game day, they're not just fielding the best two tackles, the best two guards, and the best center on their roster, they're fielding the five best offensive linemen on their roster. That's why they selected Jordan Morgan. Despite his collegiate career never leaving the blindside, Morgan has the talent to move to the guard position and the right side of the line as well. 

If the season were starting today, I would likely line up the Packers' offensive line from left to right with Rasheed Walker, Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Sean Rhyan, and Zach Tom. Of course, I'm ignoring Zach Tom's injury for the time being as we'll just say in this case, he's ready to go. When looking at that lineup though, I see two, maybe three positions up for grabs. Rasheed Walker was solid last year at left tackle, but I don't see his job being locked down just yet. Sean Rhyan was given a few opportunities to dethrone Jon Runyan last year for the right guard position, but he just couldn't seem to completely pull it off. Josh Myers' starting career at center has seen improvement, but I wouldn't be shocked to see him replaced if a worthy challenger surfaces. 

I haven't seen any commentary on whether Jordan Morgan can play center, so that gives him two possible chances to crack the top five, most likely at either left tackle or right guard. During OTA's we've seen Morgan line up at left and right tackle as well as left and right guard. Perhaps the most notable position has been right guard replacing Sean Rhyan with the presumable starting offense. The Packers have been notorious for not just handing rookies positions and making them earn them, so with Andre Dillard mainly occupying the right tackle position in Zach Tom's absence, this isn't any concern. It makes a little more sense to not give Morgan as many reps at that position given Zach Tom will likely anchor that spot when he's cleared. 

Just seeing Jordan Morgan take reps with the starting group in OTA's already is enough positive activity to raise the chances of him starting.

So Where Does He End Up?

Personally, for me, there are two answers to this question. There's where do I want Jordan Morgan to end up, and where do I think Jordan Morgan will end up?

Back in late February, I wrote that it could be Sean Rhyan's time to shine in taking over the right guard position. However, I noted that the fact that he couldn't dethrone Jon Runyan during the 2023 season worked against him. He was up against a lineman that the Packers most likely were not going to re-sign after the season. If he showed them even a slight edge over Runyan, he would've completely taken over the position, Runyan wouldn't have even thought about staying in Green Bay, and we wouldn't be having this conversation. But we are. And that's why I think if Jordan Morgan is going to start on this team, his most likely position is right guard. It's the least "held down" position on the line currently and if he cracks the top 5, this is his most likely shot. 

That's where I think Jordan Morgan will end up. When it comes to want though, I would want Morgan to line up at left tackle. Of course, if he's not ready, he wouldn't be there, but even if he shows skill a little below Rasheed Walker, I'd want the Packers to consider starting him. I hate to look at it from a contract perspective, but it's a little inevitable. If Rasheed Walker ends up being our left tackle of the future, we're going to have to pay him in 2026. That's just two years before he's getting that big left tackle payday. If Jordan Morgan ends up taking it, we have 4 to 5 years of a left tackle on a rookie deal until possibly 2029. It's not exactly all about money though, it also has to do with knowing who that left tackle will be for the next 4-5 years perhaps searching again in two years. 

Is Jordan Morgan going to be Jordan Love's protector? Or will it be Rasheed Walker? Time will have to tell. But until then, I like seeing that Jordan Morgan could line up anywhere and be productive. That's what you want from all of your players.