Jordan Morgan may see himself as a left tackle. The Packers even listed their first-round draft pick in the OT spot. But where he’ll play is yet to be decided.
That’s according to Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich. The OC and the rest of the coaches got their first big look at the rookie class when they gathered in Green Bay for their first mini-camp. Morgan, as the top pick, is the leader of the class.
“He’s a natural on the edge,” Stenavich told reporters. “He looks comfortable out there. There’s obviously some technique stuff we’ve got to clean up, just like anybody, but yeah, I’m excited to work with him and just watch him and see. I wouldn’t say he’s a tackle, I wouldn’t say he’s a guard, I just want to see where he fits best for us and with our best five out there.
“So that may be at tackle. It might not be,” Stenavich added. “But I’m excited to work with him and you can see his athleticism when he’s out there. He’s a pretty talented guy.”
Packers first-round pick Jordan Morgan looks like a left tackle, talks like a left tackle and it appears he’s going to start out at that spot. He said he lined up there during today’s walk through. Actual first rookie practice in a couple hours. pic.twitter.com/0N7Q1LVIlA
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) May 3, 2024
It’s not about Morgan’s talent. It’s about the length of his arms. NFL teams like the Packers prefer their offensive tackles be built a certain way. Throughout the scouting process, the buzz about Morgan, the former Arizona Wildcat, was about his arms. The league wants a tackle’s arms to measure at least 34 inches. Morgan’s arms are 32 7/8 inches. That inch, plus an eighth, could be the difference between a tackle keeping his quarterback upright in the pocket or allowing a hard-charging defensive end the sack.
“I get that a lot, the short arms stuff,” Morgan said at a Packers press availability late last week. “It’s like, obviously you haven’t watched film. I mean I use (his arms) pretty well. I move people off the ball. (And) I pass protect really well, protect the quarterback, I mean see the stats. It doesn’t bother me. I’m just gonna prove everybody wrong.”
Morgan, even with the shorter arms, made first-team All Pac 12 last season. He started 37 of 41 games for Arizona, with all those contests at left tackle. According to Pro Football Focus, Morgan allowed only three sacks in the 880 snaps he played the last two seasons.
“I just didn’t care about arm length,” Morgan said. “I mean, I didn’t really think it was a big deal coming into college and hearing about it. They put me at left tackle, they thought I was a great left tackle, and sure enough I was.”
The Packers used the 25th pick of the first round to select Morgan. They were in the market for a left tackle following the retirement of David Bakhtiari. A ton of other NFL teams wanted a left tackle as well. Morgan was the seventh off the board and he was one of nine offensive linemen to be selected amongst the top 32 picks.
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