A surprise name has been linked to the Green Bay Packers with the draft set to begin Thursday. Sources have told Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline that Boston College offensive lineman Zion Johnson is a name to watch for in the first round. The Packers currently own the 22nd and 28th overall selections and could use either pick to address their offensive line.
Johnson started two and a half seasons in college, mostly at left guard. In 2020, he started all 11 games at left tackle before moving back to guard for his final season.
Before arriving at Boston College, Johnson was a 0-star recruit with zero FBS offers. His first year after transferring from Davidson, he would go on to start in seven games, impressing enough coaches to earn second-team All-ACC honors.
Johnson has only gotten better since. He is described as a “phone booth guard” thanks to his impressive size and power. Even though Johnson has experience at tackle, expect him to remain on the interior at the next level.
Following an impressive performance at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine, Johnson earned a Relative Athletic Score of 9.74. Green Bay likes to draft and develop athletic linemen, and Johnson certainly fits that mold.
In terms of athleticism and versatility, Johnson could remind the Packers of Elgton Jenkins. Jenkins was selected 44th overall back in 2019 and has become a Swiss-army knife type player that can excel at basically every spot on the offensive line.
However, this may not be the case for Johnson, who is susceptible to athletic defensive linemen in space. Johnson’s best fit will be as a starting guard, but he does have the potential to play center.
Green Bay is always a team to watch for when it comes to athletic offensive linemen. It makes sense for them to like Johnson, given his potential and their need for offensive linemen. The Packers recently parted ways with Billy Turner, who was a mainstay up front for the past three seasons. Turner started 43 games in Green Bay before getting released this offseason.
Even though Turner mostly started at right tackle, that doesn’t rule out Johnson as a first-round pick. The Packers place tremendous value on offensive linemen with his kind of measurables and positional flexibility. Johnson could step in and play right away as Green Bay will have to think about replacing Turner and finding a short-term answer for Jenkins. Coming off an ACL injury suffered in Week 11, Jenkins isn’t expected to recover in time for the start of the regular season.
Johnson is a potential short-term and long-term solution for the Packers.
