Jager Burton Highlighted A Trend In Green Bay’s 2026 Draft

If the Green Bay Packers had a theme to the 2026 draft, it was staying on brand, and perhaps no player better exemplifies this than Kentucky's Jager Burton, who they picked up in the fifth round to fill out their offensive line depth.

Burton was one of the most sought-after offensive linemen in his class coming out of high school. Schools like Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, and many others tried to persuade the Lexington, Ky., native to join forces. Instead, Burton stayed true to his roots and became a Wildcat.

In the NIL era, it's becoming increasingly rare for players to stick with one team. Every offseason with the portal feels like a new roster is being filtered into all the power conference teams. But even after playing well early on, Burton stuck with Kentucky until the end. That alone is extremely admirable, and the Packers took notice.

Burton started all 13 games as a freshman at left guard and earned SEC All-Freshman Team honors. In 2023, he switched from left guard to right guard. Burton started nine games that season at right guard and another three at center. As a junior in 2024, it was back to his old stomping grounds at left guard, where he started 10 games. Just for good measure, as a senior, Burton started all 12 games at center.

There may not be another team in the NFL that values versatility on the offensive line as much as the Packers. Many teams operate under the premise of drafting a player who played a specific spot on the offensive line in college and keeping them there. Green Bay prefers a player who can scoot around the offensive line -- a guy like Jager Burton.

As for playing left guard, right guard, or center for the Packers, Burton predictably

Along with his versatility, his durability is noteworthy. Burton appeared in 51 games with the Wildcats and started 47 consecutive contests. In the wild west of the SEC, going up against what appear to be grown men on other defensive fronts, that's no small accomplishment.

Burton's versatility and durability already made him a prime Packers candidate. His commitment to sticking with Kentucky also helped. His athletic profile really hammered it home.

Try as they might, the Packers will never be able to kick the accusations of being a team that values prospects with high Relative Athletic Scores. Gutekunst has said they don't use that model and that Green Bay has its own model, but the two must be strikingly similar.

Burton not only had the highest athletic score of any center at the NFL Combine, but he also had an RAS of 9.91 out of 10. That ranks Burton No. 7 out of a possible 676 centers dating back to 1987. We should note that his overall score did not include agility testing.

Nonetheless, an offensive lineman who started with good sample sizes at three different positions and also has the makings of being an athletic prospect is the absolute definition of what the Packers fall in love with. Burton checks all the major boxes. The fact that he's a fifth-round selection shouldn't sway people any other way.

Rasheed Walker was a seventh-round selection and started the last three years at left tackle before leaving this offseason in free agency. Green Bay's best offensive lineman, Zach Tom, was a fourth-round pick in 2022 and has developed into a near All-Pro talent. Time and again, even before Gutekunst took over as general manager, Green Bay has always had the knack for drafting offensive linemen and developing them into studs, regardless of the round in which they were selected.

He can start at either guard spot or center, tested out extremely high in his athleticism scores at the combine, stayed committed to Kentucky despite bigger offers, and has always been available in a sport where health is wealth. Jager Burton is the most on-brand Packers draft selection in recent memory.