The Green Bay Packers’ Offensive Line Gets A Boost With Gifted, Versatile Sean Rhyan

The Green Bay Packers’ offensive line is as fluid as fluid gets.

Green Bay’s top two linemen — left tackle David Bakhtiari and left guard Elgton Jenkins — are coming back from torn ACLs. The Packers cut right tackle Billy Turner and lost starting guard Lucas Patrick in free agency this offseason. And they’ve shown little interest in re-signing free agent Dennis Kelly, who gave them a boost last year during his four starts at right tackle.

So to beef up a unit that was one of the deepest in football in 2021, the Packers drafted UCLA’s Sean Rhyan in the third round Friday night. While Rhyan played left tackle in the Bruins’ spread offense, his short arms (32 3/8”) mean his best NFL spot could be at guard.

“Very consistent. Pass pro and run-blocking, very, very consistent,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said of Rhyan. “I thought he had some really good balance, flexibility for a man his size and being able to play with leverage.

“All these players we’re bringing in, there’s so much to learn in the NFL game, but we just thought his ability to do some of the things we ask of our offensive linemen; being able to play outside, being able to play inside. He would be a good enough athlete to get out with some of the outside-zone and run-game stuff that we do, he just kind of fit us, along with having prototypical size.”

Rhyan was a starter at left tackle from the day he arrived at UCLA.

He earned freshman all-American honors after starting 12 games in 2019. He then started 19 games at left tackle over the last two seasons and earned first-team all-Pac 12 honors in 2021.

He also set shot put and discus records while attending San Juan Hills High School (Calif.) and qualified to play for the feeder team for the Olympic USA rugby team.

Rhyan’s vertical jump of 34-1/2” ranks No. 1 among all guard in this year’s draft class. He also posted a 29 on the 50-question Wonderlic test.

“I’m extremely versatile as well as available,” Rhyan said. “I never missed a snap in college due to an injury. I was only pulled from a game if we were stomping the other team and we wanted to get some of the other guys some playing time. Never missed a start due to an injury, none of that. I’ve been available my whole collegiate career as well as my high school career. I think my versatility to pay tribute my explosiveness and my athleticism that I’ve been born with and I’ve curated to my life.”

With Rhyan now part of the mix, it will be interesting to see how Green Bay’s offensive line shakes out in 2022.

Bakhtiari tore his ACL on New Year’s Eve, 2020, then managed to play in only the regular season finale in 2021. Two weeks later when the Packers played in the divisional round of the playoffs, Bakhtiari was inactive. Green Bay expects him back at left tackle this fall, but there are no guarantees he’ll return to past form.

Jenkins tore an ACL on Nov. 21, 2021. Whether he can return by the season-opener is uncertain.

Left guard Jon Runyan and right guard Royce Newman both made 16 starts at their respective positions in 2021. The addition of Rhyan, though, could put both players on notice.

Center Josh Myers started six games before tearing his MCL and suffering a tibia fracture and missing 10 games. Myers did return in Week 18 and started the regular season finale, as well as Green Bay’s playoff loss to San Francisco.

And Yosh Nijman — who started eight games last season — can play both left and right tackle.

Rhyan has the flexibility to play both inside and out. And much like Jenkins and Turner in recent years, don’t be shocked to see Rhyan play tackle or guard.

“We certainly think he can play tackle in the National Football League, and obviously he’s 320 pounds so moving him inside and handling that kind of power is something we also think,” Gutekunst said. “He’s a young player, he’s a true third-year junior, started 30 games there, so a lot of experience for a young player, but we think his best football should be ahead of him as well.”

As for Rhyan, he doesn’t care where the Packers line him up.

He just wants to play.

“I’m excited to start working out with the team,” Rhyan said. “As far as to what position I’ll play, I just go and I talk to the coaches and see what best fits me and what best fits the team and go win a lot of games doing it.”