Packers Hosted First-Round Offensive Tackle Prospect on Predraft Visit

The Green Bay Packers hosted Oklahoma offensive tackle Tyler Guyton on a predraft visit, according to a source.

Oklahoma OT Tyler Guyton at the Scouting Combine. / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

 

 

The Green Bay Packers are looking for reinforcements on their offensive line. The losses of David Bakhtiari, Jon Runyan Jr. and Yosh Njiman have them on the hunt for a big man to protect their new franchise quarterback.

One first-round possibility, Oklahoma offensive tackle Tyler Guyton, had a top-30 visit with the Packers, according to a source.

Who Is Tyler Guyton?

Guyton’s size immediately jumps off the page. His height might even look more like a basketball player than a football player. He stands at just under 6-foot-8 and weighed in at 322 pounds at the Scouting Combine.

The athleticism for Guyton is off the charts. He ran his 40-yard dash in 5.19 seconds, part of a Relative Athletic Score of 9.74, and has a wingspan that might rival Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetekounmpo

Despite all those measurables, Guyton himself might not have thought that he was going to be playing in the NFL as an offensive tackle just a few years ago.

His career began at TCU, where he played H-back rather than on the offensive line. After transferring to Oklahoma, Guyton started for two years at right tackle. His athleticism from his days as an H-back show up when you turn on his film.

Once he came into his own on the line, he thrived. His final season at Oklahoma saw him give up zero sacks and 12 total pressures in the Sooners’ pass-happy offense, according to Pro Football Focus.

Guyton might be raw, but he has received some rave reviews. Jim Nagy, the executive director of the Senior Bowl,89p compared Guyton to former Dallas Cowboys’ left tackle Tyron Smith. Smith’s career isn’t over, but when it is he will be getting fitted for a gold jacket in Canton, Ohio. Like Guyton, Smith was a right tackle in college. Guyton played on the right side to protect the blind side of left-handed quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

How He Fits

Guyton’s size would cause some question as to what side of the line he’s going to play. Would it be right tackle, where he played at Oklahoma and could be a potential road-grader in the run game? Or left tackle, where he has the potential to be a standout replacement for All-Pro David Bakhtiari?

A parallel conversation within the Packers’ offensive staff could be whether their excellent right tackle, Zach Tom, is their left tackle of the future.

Perhaps Guyton would be given the benefit of a redshirt season behind Tom and Rasheed Walker, who performed well at left tackle to close out his 2023 season.

The Packers have not been shy about having players, even high draft picks, sit and learn under a veteran mainstay while they find their sea legs in the NFL.

Rashan Gary did not start immediately. Jaire Alexander was quickly put into the lineup but was not an immediate starter. Famously, of course, Jordan Love was given three full seasons behind Aaron Rodgers.

Those were different circumstances, but the reality is the only rookies prior to last season’s youth movement to start immediately under coach Matt LaFleur are safety Darnell Savage and center Josh Myers.

The presence of Walker and Tom gives the Packers a chance to bring Guyton along slowly, if they wanted to, though a first-round pick is rarely glued to the bench without being given a chance to prove he cannot play.

Guyton would be picked with the idea of replacing either Walker or Tom. While Guyton hasn’t played left tackle, he has the skill-set to be Love’s blind-side protector. If Guyton starts at left tackle, Walker could move into the swing-man role. If Guyton starts at right tackle, Tom could move inside to replace Myers or right guard Sean Rhyan.

Given that Tom is a proven commodity at tackle, that does not seem like the best use of resources, though Gutekunst once said he felt Tom’s best position was at center. Myers, a second-round pick in 2021, is set to play on an expiring contract.

Regardless, the Packers are in need of more talented offensive linemen for depth, if nothing else. Guyton certainly fits the billing.

Round Projection

Guyton’s traits and size along with the program he played at make him a first-round consideration for the Packers, though there’s a chance some team will fall in love with his upside to the point where he is not on the board when the Packers are on the clock at No. 25.

The question is whether Gutekunst is one of those general managers that is in love with Guyton. That he used one of his 30 allotted visits on Guyton would seem to be a strong indication. Gutekunst has not been shy about going to get his man in the first round if he feels that conviction.

Some examples include Jaire Alexander, Savage and Love. Two of those three players have turned into franchise cornerstones. Perhaps Guyton could become another. 

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Packers GM Brian Gutekunst / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

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