Butkus No Stranger to Handling Expectations

Luke Butkus, the nephew of Bears legend Dick Butkus, is taking over the Green Bay Packers' strong offensive line.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – On Jan. 31, the Green Bay Packers announced Luke Butkus had been promoted to offensive line coach.

His Hall of Fame uncle, Chicago Bears legend Dick Butkus, just couldn’t bring himself to saying anything nice. Taking to Twitter, the 79-year-old congratulated his nephew for being promoted by an “expansion” team.

shout out to my nephew luke the new o line coach for the packers
so great to see you moving up with an expansion team

— Dick Butkus (@thedickbutkus) January 31, 2022

“It’s funny, I’ll give him that. He is witty,” Luke Butkus responded on Tuesday when he and the rest of the new and promoted members of the coaching staff met with reporters for the first time.

Butkus has some big shoes to fill. Aided by Butkus, Adam Stenavich did a masterful job coaching the Packers’ offensive line the past three seasons. Last season, Green Bay posted its third consecutive 13-win season even though All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari and Pro Bowl left guard Elgton Jenkins were sidelined by torn ACLs, All-Pro center Corey Linsley signed with the Chargers, and rookies Josh Myers and Royce Newman were thrust into the lineup.

With Stenavich replacing Nathaniel Hackett as offensive coordinator, Butkus moved up a rung to offensive line coach.

Of course, if anyone knows about dealing with expectations, it’s Butkus. Imagine being a football player with the name “Butkus” emblazoned on the back of the jersey. Nothing short of greatness was the expectation.

“I’m proud of everyone in my family, what they’ve accomplished, in the football world, outside the football world,” said Butkus, an all-Big Ten center at Illinois in 2000 and 2001 who failed to stick in opportunities with the Bears and Chargers. “We’re a big family, so there’s a lot of great things that are happening all the time with my family.

“With the name, yeah, maybe it carried a little burden for me following him and going to Illinois, but I followed my brother, I followed my dad, and I followed other uncles that went to Illinois. So, there was always maybe that expectation, but who can match what he did? So, just to be realistic, be who I am and be my own individual a little bit, that kind of helped.”

So, if Butkus can handle the expectations of being a Butkus, he certainly can handle the expectations of keeping Green Bay’s line chugging along. The team lost two veteran starters this offseason, with right tackle Billy Turner released in a cost-cutting move and Lucas Patrick signing with Chicago. But Bakhtiari should be ready for Week 1, Jenkins will return at some point, and players like Myers, Newman, Jon Runyan and Yosh Nijman gained a lot of experience last year.

“We’re going to find the best five,” he said in channeling his inner Stenavich and Matt LaFleur. “It’s April. We have a lot of time. We have a lot of good players that sat in this room this past year, and we’ll probably add a few more. Excited for the challenge, and I know these guys are, too. We’re going to find the best fit, the best five on the field and I’m sure we’ll play around with that a little bit. But I feel confident the guys in this room, they have what it takes and they know how to play football.”

All-Packers Mock Draft Without First-Round Receiver

Our fifth all-Packers mock draft was constructed with the simulator at Pro Football Network.

First Round

No. 22 – OT Trevor Penning, Northern Iowa

The Packers are down two starters on the offensive line with the release of right tackle Billy Turner and the loss of guard/center Lucas Patrick. One of the great mysteries is what the Packers will do with Elgton Jenkins once he’s back from a torn ACL. Will he go back to left guard, where he was a Pro Bowler in 2020? Or did he play so well at left tackle last year that he’s viewed as the successor to Turner?

Maybe that answer is TBA based on the draft. Penning is a physical dominator with the requisite athleticism who would step in at right tackle and start for 10-plus seasons.

First Round

No. 28 – OLB Boye Mafe, Minnesota

I could have gone receiver here. Arkansas’ Treylon Burks was available at this spot, as was Penn State’s Jahan Dotson. But the Packers really, really need an outside linebacker, where they’re one injury away from starting Tipa Galeai. Mafe has freakish tools with 4.53 speed at 261 pounds. Much like Rashan Gary in 2019, Mafe will be a work in progress with the upside to dominate.

Second Round

No. 53 – WR George Pickens, Georgia

Receiver No. 1, come on down. Pickens missed most of last season with a torn ACL sustained during spring practice. At 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, ran his 40 in 4.47 seconds. When he caught 49 passes for 727 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman in 2019, he drew comparisons to another towering Georgia receiver, A.J. Green. He had a predraft visit.

Second Round

No. 59 – WR Alec Pierce, Cincinnati

Receiver No. 2, come on down. Pierce caught 52 passes for 884 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior. At 6-foot-3, he ran his 40 in 4.41 seconds with a 40.5-inch vertical jump. Perhaps these picks are too similar and I should have found more of a complementary skill-set, but I really need to knock a receiver out of the park so wanted to double my chances. Imagine Pickens and Pierce on the outside with Allen Lazard doing some dirty work from the slot. Or, Amari Rodgers, last year’s third-round pick, adding his quickness from the slot.

Third Round

No. 92 – CB Cam Taylor-Britt, Nebraska

There’s been some consternation on who will play the slot. Presumably, the Packers will go with Rasul Douglas and Eric Stokes on the perimeter with Jaire Alexander in the slot. But Taylor-Britt has that slot skill-set and would be an instant upgrade over Henry Black as the sixth defensive back. He had six interceptions and 24 passes defensed his final three seasons. At 5-foot-10 5/8 and a sturdy 207 pounds, he’s got 4.38 speed.

Fourth Round

No. 132 – TE Charlie Kolar, Iowa State

Kolar and Virginia’s Jelani Woods were available at this spot. I’ve picked Woods a lot and, if I had to guess, I don’t think he’d be here at this point. So, the pick is Kolar. At 6-foot-6 and 252 pounds, he ran his 40 in 4.64 seconds. He caught 62 passes for 756 yards and six touchdowns as a senior and scored 20 touchdowns the past three years. The downside is he’s not a great blocker.

Fourth Round

No. 140 – LB JoJo Domann, Nebraska

Domann was a second-team All-American as a senior with 72 tackles, nine tackles for losses, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and five passes defensed. At 6-foot-1 1/4 and 228 pounds, he ran his 40 in 4.62. He’d challenge underrated Krys Barnes for a starting job and upgrade the special teams.

Fifth Round

No. 171 – OL Zach Tom, Wake Forest

Tom started at center as a freshman and sophomore and at left tackle as a junior and senior. Patrick was a really important member of the line because he could start at any of the interior positions. That versatility is a really big deal on gamedays. Tom’s athleticism (4.94 in the 40, 4.47 in the shuttle) fits the Packers’ history. He gave up only one sack in four seasons, according to Sports Info Solutions.

Seventh Round

No. 228 – DL Thomas Booker, Stanford

The addition of Jarran Reed was a big deal but, at this point, Jack Heflin is the fifth defensive lineman. In four seasons, Booker had 10 sacks and 20.5 tackles for losses. He measured 6-foot-3 3/8 and 301 pounds and produced a 4.94 in the 40, 4.41 in the shuttle and 31 reps on the bench press.

Seventh Round

No. 249 – S Percy Butler, Louisiana

At the end of a draft, you’ve got to bet on something. For Butler, it’s speed. At 6-foot, he ran his 40 in 4.36 seconds. As a junior in 2021, he had one interception, four breakups, six tackles for losses and one blocked kick. As noted by NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, “Butler's outstanding work as a gunner adds to his draft day value and likelihood of sticking around the league.”

Seventh Round

No. 258 – WR Jalen Virgil, Appalachian State

I really want to get a returner. Virgil was a four-time member of Bruce Feldman’s annual “Freaks” list for The Athletic; he finished fourth overall and first among offensive skill players in 2021. For his career, he caught 98 passes for 1,436 yards and 11 touchdowns on offense and averaged 30.1 yards on kickoff returns with three more scores. He did not return punts. At 6-foot and 207 pounds, he ran his 40 in 4.37 seconds.