Death, taxes, and the Green Bay Packers striking gold with a sleeper offensive lineman prospect in any given NFL Draft. It's a long-running trend for the Cheeseheads, and in the opinion of one Kentucky Wildcats diehard, Jager Burton is the next in line.
Burton came off the board on Day 3 of this year's draft when the Packers selected him at 153rd overall in the fifth round. Although center isn't an obvious need after Green Bay re-signed Sean Rhyan to a three-year extension, Burton could push the handsomely-paid Rhyan for the starting gig sometime down the road.
Wildcat Blue Nation's Lane Mills provided a detailed write-up of Burton prior to the draft, wherein he's characterized as a solid, if not spectacular, prospect who could grind his way into an NFL lineup:
"Jager Burton was a pivotal anchor of the 'Big Blue Wall' during his time at Kentucky, and consistently ranked in the upper echelon of the nation's competing centers on the collegiate level. He may not blow you away in any aspect, but Burton is exactly the sort of developmental lineman that seems destined for a sneakily reliable role in the NFL. This is a low-risk, high-reward pick that will likely have Wildcats fans screaming 'told you so' to whatever team ends up with him down the road."
Jager Burton could be Packers' center of the future based on Kentucky expert's scouting report
Don't get it twisted, though: Burton's lack of standout qualities don't extend to his raw athleticism. He's absolutely elite in that department.
Jager Burton is a OC prospect in the 2026 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.87 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 10 out of 684 OC from 1987 to 2026.
— RAS.football (@MathBomb) March 17, 2026
Combine splits still pending, but after pro day will have a full card.https://t.co/c8eNLCUiJA pic.twitter.com/E4v0vdHfCw
Ex-Packers executive and new Miami Dolphins GM Jon-Eric Sullivan gives Green Bay's Brian Gutekunst a clear avenue to pursue a trade for Aaron Brewer. Now that Burton is in the fold, though, perhaps it's no longer necessary to swing a massive trade to solidify the protection in front of Jordan Love.
As was hinted at in the introduction, Green Bay has room to improve over Rhyan at the center position. What's fascinating is, upon closer examination of Burton, he has some interesting similarities to the man he'll likely compete with for a starting gig.
Rhyan is a jack of all trades, master of none on the offensive line. During the 2025 campaign alone, he lined up at right guard for 295 snaps, took 56 reps at left guard, and was at center for 456 snaps, per PFF. The year prior, he was almost exclusively at right guard.
In Burton's case, he wasn't a full-time center until his final season in Lexington. He played left guard only in 2024, and split time between right guard and center (more at the former spot) in 2023.
It'd be great if the Packers could get Rhyan or Burton locked in at a specific position. However, they're used to juggling all kinds of different mixes and matches, thanks in large part to Elgton Jenkins, who spent significant starting time at every position but right guard from 2019 through last season.
Where some coaching staffs might see a headache, a lack of clarity in players' roles, or a frustrating lack of stability, the Packers put a premium on versatility on the offensive line. They seem to produce stellar results every single year, and are adamant about investing an inordinate amount of draft capital in that unit.
How about a mind-boggling stat to close this thing out? Excluding the unicorn of a 2023 draft where they didn't spend a single one of their 13 picks on the O-line, the Packers have drafted a whopping 15 offensive linemen from 2020 through their latest selection of Jager Burton.
We'll see what Burton's future holds, but to me, it speaks volumes that Green Bay's only pick on the O-line from this year was spent on him.
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