The Green Bay Packers raised eyebrows when they made Sean Rhyan one of the highest-paid centers in football after making only seven starts at the position.
Their latest draft pick is already hinting at possible buyer's remorse. Green Bay used its fifth-round choice to select Kentucky center Jager Burton, and there's good reason to believe he could push Rhyan for the job sooner than you'd expect from a fifth-round rookie.
Burton turns 24 in August and is only two years younger than Rhyan, and he enters the league with a ton of college experience, having started 47 games for Kentucky. It's why FanSided's draft expert Mike Luciano noted that Burton is "the best pick Packers have made" in this class.
Packers' Jager Burton selection makes the Sean Rhyan contract look even worse
Let's put it bluntly: The Packers overpaid Rhyan. They extended his deal on the eve of free agency, wildly overestimating the center market by presumably trying to get a jump on the Tyler Linderbaum contract.
While Linderbaum landed $27 million per year, the other top free-agent centers fell well short of that. Former Pro Bowler Tyler Biadasz received $10 million per year, while Cade Mays signed for just $8.33 million annually. Green Bay gave Rhyan an $11 million salary despite earning PFF's worst pass-blocking grade at the center position.
And it's not like he can shift to guard, either, as he already lost his starting job there.
In Burton, the Packers are getting an elite athlete who knows how to pass protect. His 9.88 Relative Athletic Score is among the best at his position, with an elite 4.45-second short shuttle standing out.
Burton can play any of the interior line spots but has extensive experience at center. Last season, he received an outstanding 79.5 PFF pass-blocking grade after allowing zero sacks.
Eric Galko, who is the Director of Football Ops at the Shrine Bowl, called Burton the Packers' future starting center.
That feels inevitable. Burton has the tools to become a starter in the NFL, and the Packers are among the best at finding hidden gems along the offensive line on Day 3.
It doesn't feel like if, but when. The Packers signed Rhyan to a new deal just 48 days ago, but his time as the starting center is already under threat.
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