The Green Bay Packers have searched far and wide to find a suitable replacement for All-Pro center Corey Linsley.
They started in the second round, drafting Josh Myers, a decision that became one of Brian Gutekunst's worst as he passed on Creed Humphrey, now an All-Pro with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Green Bay then asked Elgton Jenkins, a two-time Pro Bowl guard, to slide to center. That didn't work. The Packers later moved Sean Rhyan to center, who made seven starts, surprisingly landed a contract extension, but is still far from guaranteed to hold the job long-term.
The Packers may have found their best replacement for Linsley in the same round they drafted him. Jager Burton is the name to remember when training camp begins.
Jager Burton is following a Packers path once taken by Corey Linsley
Linsley arrived in Green Bay as the 161st pick of the 2014 NFL Draft. There were no expectations, as JC Tretter was inked in as the starting center. Then Tretter got hurt before Week 1, forcing Linsley into the lion's den of Seattle to face the defending Super Bowl champions and their fierce defense. Bruce Irvin said he would "pray" for Linsley while predicting it was "going to be a long night" for the rookie center.
It wasn't a long night. Linsley more than held his own in the most daunting of matchups, allowing just one pressure, zero hits, and zero sacks (per PFF).
Fast forward to the present day, and it's Burton with an opportunity like Linsley's.
Burton arrives as the Packers' selection at 153 overall, only eight slots earlier than Linsley was picked in his draft class 12 years earlier.
Like Linsley in 2014, Burton enters with no expectations, no pressure. But he's already forcing his way into the conversation after turning heads at the offseason workout program.
We may not have to wait long to see him, either. Head coach Matt LaFleur has already praised the Kentucky product and hinted that he could compete for playing time this summer. That could mean a lot of things.
Maybe he's the backup interior lineman who steps into the lineup if there's an injury at center or one of the two guard spots.
Perhaps it's more than that. While the Packers handed Rhyan a new deal in March, he has just seven career starts at center. That was enough time to receive PFF's lowest pass-blocking grade among 40 centers, while ranking 31st overall.
That's where the parallels between Burton and Linsley end. An injury to Tretter opened the door for Linsley, and he never gave the job back. Who knows how long he may have had to wait if Tretter stayed healthy. Tretter was a more-than-capable starter in his own right and went on to start 80 games for the Cleveland Browns.
For Burton, the door may already be open. Rhyan isn't a lock to start (he shouldn't be, at least).
Burton logged a lot of snaps across all three interior positions for Kentucky. That includes a combined 1,689 snaps at the two guard positions.
But until last season, he hadn't spent much time at center. That changed in 2025, when he logged 817 snaps and put in the best year of his college career. Per PFF, Burton allowed 12 pressures, zero sacks, and zero hits, with his pass-blocking grade ranking 34th among 157 qualified centers.
Like Linsley, Burton has the athletic profile the Packers covet. Both players showcased versatility during their respective college careers, yet both were overlooked on draft weekend.
Linsley received an opportunity to start immediately, and he used it as a launching pad to an All-Pro career. Burton is still a long way off reaching those heights, but after catching LaFleur's eye in the offseason, he might follow Linsley's path by becoming an immediate starter as a fifth-round rookie.
And with any luck, Burton will be the Linsley replacement the Packers have spent half a decade looking for.
Add us as a preferred source on Google