Latest Position Gives Rookie Zach Tom Chance to Start

Six days into Packers training camp, fourth-round offensive lineman Zach Tom has played four positions. Where he lined up on Tuesday was the most intriguing.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Zach Tom arrived at Green Bay Packers rookie camp in May looking to be a five-position player on the offensive line.

Just six practices into training camp, Tom is four-fifths of the way to that goal, though perhaps there’s an even bigger goal in front of him. On Tuesday, the first full-pads practice of the summer, Tom worked with the No. 1 offense at right tackle. There was no need to tell the fourth-round pick what was at stake with this latest test of his versatility.

“Honestly, they just say, ‘You’re going to be playing right tackle tomorrow.’ That’s it,” Tom said at his locker after. “But I can read between the lines. They’re giving me an opportunity to run with the 1s, so you’ve got to make the most of it.”

With All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari’s status in doubt, the offensive tackle positions are in limbo. Presumably, if Bakhtiari opens the season on the physically unable to perform list, Yosh Nijman would get the call at left tackle; he played well there in eight starts last season. But what about right tackle? On days when Tom has been the No. 1 left tackle, Nijman played right tackle. On days when Nijman has been the No. 1 left tackle, Royce Newman bounced outside from right guard to play right tackle.

Running with the starters on Tuesday means Tom could be running with the starters in Week 1 at the Vikings.

“That’s the goal,” he said. “That’s the end goal but, at this point, I’m just taking it day by day and trying to get better and prove myself and let the cards play as they will.”

There’s no doubt Tom has to get better. At Wake Forest, he started at center as a sophomore and at left tackle as a junior and senior. He figured he played 10 snaps at right tackle during his collegiate career. Until this week, he hadn’t played right tackle during his short time with the Packers, either.

So, there’s a steep physical learning curve. The team’s starting right tackle the past three seasons, Billy Turner, also was Bakhtiari’s primary backup at left tackle. When forced to change positions, he likened it to, “Wiping your ass with your opposite hand. And if you’ve ever tried that, I’m sure you know.” The footwork is completely different from everything he’s been trained to do for years.

“It’s just the opposite of playing left tackle so everything is the other way,” Tom said. “I knew what I was doing. It’s just a little weird doing everything the opposite. I’m used to kicking off of my right leg and now I have to kick off of my left leg, so those were the major challenges – flipping everything around.”

Being an opening-day starter at right tackle would be a huge challenge for a relatively undersized lineman. Being a five-position backup also would be a challenge, but Tom’s history at Wake Forest fit the Packers’ mold of smart, athletic blockers capable of lining up here, there and everywhere.

“We’ve got a little saying, if that’s his expectation, his work ethic better exceed his expectations,” LaFleur said. “A lot of it’s going to be on him to be able to go out there and do it. He’s got the intelligence and athleticism to do that. The only guy that I’ve been around up to this point that’s proven it is a guy like Elgton (Jenkins). He’s done it all. Certainly, we’re not going to limit Zach to just any one spot.”

And they haven’t. He’s played left and right tackle, center and one of the guard spots. Right tackle, with the potential of immediate playing time, might be the most intriguing of them all if the Packers are forced to shuffle guys around to start the season to cover the losses of Bakhtiari and Jenkins.

Having spent the rookie camp and the offseason practices as part of the center rotation, he’s got the playbook down. Now, it’s about mastering the footwork and technique.

“Once you know the center position, you kind of know everything,” he said. “The center pretty much has to make all the calls. When you get thrown into another position, you really already know what you’re doing. At that point, it’s just about how you do it – the technique and stuff. That’s been the main challenge.”