Packers: David Bakhtiari is PFF’s top-ranked tackle entering 2021

One of the Green Bay Packers‘ greatest draft picks in recent memory, David Bakhtiari has been the best tackle in the NFL for many years.

A five-time All-Pro, Bakhtiari is making a strong case for making the Hall of Fame one day. But he still has lots of football ahead of him.

Bakhtiari is currently recovering from a torn ACL that he suffered late in the regular season last December. Whether he’s ready for the start of the 2021 season remains unclear, but he should be back at some point and will be key to the Packers’ offensive success as he always is.

Anthony Treash of Pro Football Focus has ranked the best tackles in the NFL ahead of the 2021 season. Can you guess who is at number one?

No, it’s not Jason Spriggs. It’s, of course, David Bakhtiari.

The Packers’ superstar left tackle ranks just ahead of Trent Williams of the San Francisco 49ers and Ryan Ramczyk of the New York Giants.

Bakhtiari’s teammate Elgton Jenkins doesn’t make the top 32, but not because of talent. According to an editor’s note in the article, as we don’t yet know where Jenkins will play along the offensive line, he hasn’t been ranked. But they add that Jenkins would “be ranked on any of our three OL lists”.

The question for Bakhtiari entering 2021 isn’t about whether he’s set for another great season, but rather how many games he will play. I certainly wouldn’t rule out Bakhtiari being ready for Week 1 and playing a full season, but as he tore his ACL so late in the year, there’s every chance he’ll miss some time.

Bakhtiari hasn’t missed many games in his career. He’s played at least 12 games in every season, featuring in all 16 in five out of his eight seasons.

Let’s hope he doesn’t miss too much time at the start of the regular season because he’s the best tackle in football.