The Green Bay Packers roster is one of the deepest in the National Football League heading into the 2024 NFL Draft. Not only does Green Bay have one of the youngest rosters in the NFL with emerging stars on both sides of the ball, but the team also reportedly believes it could have a future Hall of Famer in its lineup.
The Packers have done an excellent job at identifying talent in the NFL Draft and developing those players into high-end starts. David Bakhtiari, once the 109th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, was on a Hall of Fame trajectory before an ACL tear and recurring knee issues derailed his career.
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Green Bay also struck gold with its 2023 draft class, finding success with wide receivers Jayden Reed (50th overall pick) and Dontayvion Wicks (159th overall pick) and tight ends Luke Musgrave (42nd overall selection) and Tucker Kraft (78th overall selection). However, it’s a late-round pick from 2022 that the team believes could soon develop into one of the best players in the NFL.
During an appearance on Wilde and Tausch, ESPN Packers reporter Rob Demovsky said that offensive lineman Zach Tom could replace Josh Myers as the Packers’ starting center as early as 2024. As for why, Green Bay’s insider shared just how high the organization is on Tom.
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“I think the starting center is on this team right now, but it’s not Josh Myers, the long-term starter. I was told by a couple people within the organiation, they think Zach Tom is a Pro Bowl right tackle, an All-Pro guard and a potential Hall of Fame center.”
Rob Demovsky on Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Zach Tom
Tom, the 140th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft started all 17 regular-season games for Green Bay last season. According to Pro Football Focus, Tom registered 1,064 snaps at right tackle with just 4 snaps coming at center in 2023.
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While Tom almost exclusively played right tackle last season, he was extremely versatile as a rookie. Across 489 snaps played in 2022, per PFF, Tom took 295 snaps at left tackle, 96 snaps at left guard, 84 snaps at right tackle and 14 snaps at right guard.
Versatile offensive linemen have been a staple for the Packers in recent years. Elgton Jenkins has started multiple games on both the left and right side of Green Bay’s offensive line since he entered the league in 2019. Now, Tom has taken on that role as the Swiss Army knife of the Packers’ offensive line.
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If Tom takes over as the Packers center in 2024, Myers would likely provide depth along the interior offensive line next season. Moving Tom inside would also increase the likelihood of Green Bay using a first-round pick on an offensive tackle, with Duke’s Graham Barton and Georgia’s Amarius Mims potential options.