It is a rare occasion when the Packers select an offensive player in the first round of the NFL Draft. It has only happened five times in the past twenty years. However, Jordan Morgan, Green Bay's first-round draft pick from the 2024 draft, will be joining good company.

It's an understatement to say Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love "worked out." Bryan Bulaga was an offensive lineman who held down the right tackle position for many years and played a key role in the Packers' 2010 Super Bowl run. And while Derek Sherrod's career was cut short due to injury, he showed some promise in his short stint in Green Bay.

With the departure of David Bakhtiari, Jon Runyan Jr., and Yosh Nijman this offseason, it is no surprirse that the Packers front office decided to address the offensive line with their first pick in the draft.

Morgan is an athletic offensive lineman with position versatility. He started three seasons at Arizona, earning first-team All-Pac 12 honors in 2023. He was a stalwart at left tackle in the Wildcats hire-powered offense. He also suffered an ACL injury in 2022 but recovered to play the entire 2023 season.

It is no surprise, either, to anyone following the Packers and their draft tendencies for a while that Jordan Morgan meets Green Bay's size (6-5, 311) and athletic thresholds. His 9.23 RAS (Relative Athletic Score) seems to be on par for the course for Brian Gutekunst's first-round draft picks.

And while the Morgan seems like a promsing young player, I wanted to unpack specifically what he brings to the Packers offense, and also where he needs to still improve his game going into the NFL. For this piece, I watched six games (Colorado, UCLA, Utah, USC, Washington, and Washington State). Here are a few of my observations on Jordan Morgan as a prospect.

Traits to Love and What Jordan Morgan Brings to the Packers

1) Moves Well in Space -- The first thing that jumps out about Morgan's game is how well he moves for a  311-pound lineman. He's an athletic big man with smooth change of direction who can also accelerate out of his stance. He gathers ground quickly when pulling and getting out in space. This first clip is from the UCLA game and the Wildcats run a pin-and-pull concept with a receiver and the left tackle. Morgan takes the appropriate flat steps to get out in space and get a hat on the safety. While Morgan could do a better job of finishing when reaching the defender, the play does demonstrate how well he moves in space and how good of an angle he takes to set up a successful run.

This next clip is from the Utah game, and it shows Morgan on the move in a counter pull. He shows great footwork to get flat and then arch to the second-level defender. While the play isn't successful because a backside defender runs down the ball carrier, it does showcase Morgan's agility to round a tight corner and get his hat on a linebacker.

This next clip from the Utah game also shows the kind of athlete Morgan is. Watch how quickly he accelerates out of his stance, and then punches and goes to the linebacker. This is tremendous movement for a big offensive lineman, and while he quickly gets his hands on a linebacker, he could be a little more physical to finish the play.

Morgan's ability to get out in space as a lead blocker or his quick acceleration to get to the second level and get his hands on linebackers are exciting tools he brings to the game. It demonstrates just how rare of an athlete he is and the type of game speed he plays with.

2) Nimble Feet -- A "dancing bear" is a common descriptor used for big linemen who are light on their feet, and while it's been overused, it's hard to imagine a better way to describe Morgan's smooth lateral movement and quick feet. In this next clip, Morgan drops in a pass set against dynamic pass rusher, Laiatu Latu, who was the first defensive player drafted this past weekend. On this play, Latu tries to use his speed to gain the edge, but Morgan wins the rep because of his ability to gain ground with his quick kick steps.

Morgan does a great job getting into his pass set and anticipating Latu's approach. The former Wildcat's athleticism and agility allow him to be an effective pass protector, even when his technique isn't perfect. This next clip demonstrates this, as well. It's from the Washington State game, and Morgan is facing another talented pass rusher in Brennan Jackson. While Morgan's hand placement is not perfect and outside the defender's shoulders, Morgan avoids a "holding" call because he keeps his feet moving laterally. This is a good example of a lineman "shadow boxing" a defender, keeping him in front of him at all times, even when the defender tries a spin move.

This third clip is from the Washington game, and it demonstrates how Morgan's quick feet allow him to get in the right position as a run blocker. The moment the ball is snapped Morgan gets his body in perfect position to seal the defender off from the run. He also shows a nice initial punch out of his stance and maintains a good angle to keep the defensive end from folding in on the play. While it would be good for Morgan to keep his hands on the defender to sustain the block, it's his quick footwork that allows him to win the rep.

Morgan's feet are his secret weapon. They showcase just how athletic he is and what makes him special. While there are so many little technique things Morgan could improve, his agility and quickness are tools that aren't coachable.

3) Excellent Hat Placement -- Morgan is a highly intelligent football player, and the proof is in his consistently excellent hat placement in the ground game. This is an underrated trait for offensive linemen, but it can make all the difference for a running play to be successful or not. Watch in the next few clips from Morgan's film where his shoulders and helmet are compared to the running lane. Morgan takes just the right angles to the defender, using his athleticism to get his body in the best position to maintain his leverage and seal off the defender from making the play.

This first clip from the Utah game shows how quick Morgan is out of his stance and how he turns his shoulders and hips to get in position to seal off the linebacker from making the play. This second clip from the UCLA game also demonstrates this ability. It's an inside zone run, but Morgan moves with the play for a few steps and quickly repositions himself get his shoulders squared on the backside defensive end, which creates a clear cutback lane for the running back.

This third clip is from the Washington State game, and it demonstrates Morgan's ability to use leverage and lateral agility to get his hat on the inside shoulder of a three-technique defensive tackle. This is a very difficult reach block for lineman to make. Only a special type of athlete can make this block effectively.

Morgan's athleticism and quick burst out of his stance allows him to get in position to square up defenders and win the leverage battle. His consistent hat placement demonstrates just how well he understands plays and where he needs to position himself to make them successful.

4) Good Functional Strength -- This may come as a surprise to some, but Morgan demonstrates very good functional strength on film. While, yes, he could do a better job of being a tenacious blocker, he does possess plenty of physical strength to develop into a "mauler" someday. Watch how easily Morgan pancakes the defensive end in this first clip from the Utah game. He shows a strong punch out of his stance and is able to completely wash the defender out of the play with a down block.

Morgan's reputation as a run blocker is not one that is overly physical or dominant. He's pegged more as an athletic lineman than a road grader, but he does show good power in his base and punch. He is certainly more than physically capable of moving people at the line of scrimmage. This next clip is from the Washington State game and Morgan shows a strong anchor to take on a bull rush and stop the defensive end dead in his tracks.

While Morgan's hand placement is not great, his lower body is strong and rooted in the ground. He shows this on several occasions on film. While he does have some losing reps against power rushers, he also has plenty of examples where he handles it just fine and is able to neutralize the bull rush. Morgan has more than enough physical strength to hold up on the edge.

Areas of Improvement for the Next Level

1) Needs to Finish Plays -- Perhaps, the biggest downside to Morgan's game as he enters the NFL is a lack of finishing plays. While Morgan shows good initial strength and athleticism, he needs to play to the whistle and dominate at the point of attack once he gets his hands on defenders. He seems to let up a little early before the play is over. This primarily comes down to having the right mentality. Morgan could play with a a little more tenacity. Take this next clip, for example, from the USC game. Morgan gets out in the flat on a pull and tags the defensive back. On this play, he needs to show more initiative to put this defender on his back, or in the very least, obstruct his path to the ball carrier.

This next clip from the Washington State game is less of an extreme example. Overall, it is a good play from Morgan. He punches and goes to the second level. He squares up the linebacker to create a clear running lane for the halfback. However, he lets up just a second or two early instead of carrying the play to the whistle. He should put this linebacker on the ground, or at least move him off his spot. Unfortunately, this happens way too often in his film.

Morgan possesses plenty of strength, but his physicality leaves you wanting more. The frustrating part is that it seems he is capable of it, but it could also be the very thing that prevents him from being a dominant player in the trenches. He has the physical tools, but the dog mentality doesn't always seem to be there.

2) Susceptible to Inside Moves -- As a pass protector, Morgan is very solid. He handles speed off the edge well, and he can anchor against bull rushes. However, one recurring struggle is Morgan can overset in his pass drop and be susceptible to inside pass rush moves. This next clip from the Washington game shows Morgan getting just a touch wide in his shuffle and surrendering his inside shoulder to Bralen Trice.

Trice creates pressure with an inside rip move. Unfortunately, an even more egregious version of this happens in the Utah game. In this next clip Morgan sets wide but then he's a step too slow in readjusting his feet when the defensive end decides to jump inside. This leads to a quick pressure and a dangerous pass from the quarterback.

On a few occasions in the six games I watched, Morgan shows a weakness for inside pass rush moves. This is a bit concerning going into the NFL. However, this must be something Green Bay coaches feel they can correct.

3) Needs to Improve Hand Technique -- Another area Morgan needs to clean up going into the NFL is his hand placement, especially in pass protection. His initial punch too often is wide, causing him to catch the pass rushers around their shoulders instead of hitting them in the chest. This compromises his power, but it can also lead to holding penalties if he's not careful. Take this next clip from the Washington game, for example. Trice bull rushes Morgan, and while he has the power in his lower body to anchor, his hand placement is poor, causing him to catch instead of striking and extending his arms. Ideally, a lineman's punch should be in the chest of the defender. However, this is easier said than done.

Something similar happens on this next play, which is from the USC game. While Morgan doesn't necessarily lose the rep--the Wildcats score a touchdown, after all--it still shows sloppy hand technique. His hands catch outside the defender's shoulders in a sort of bear hug. This could easily be called for a hold if Morgan doesn't move his feet.

The good news is that bad habits are easily correctable. Poor hand placement is not enough to nullify a player. However, it is something that will need to be addressed because it shows up way too often in his college film.

Conclusion

Morgan is a promising young talent who should immediately compete for a starting role in the Packers offensive line. Whether that is at left tackle or right guard, it is still too early to say. At this point, Morgan is not as polished as Rasheed Walker, so it is difficult to imagine a scenario where Morgan is given the starting left tackle job at the start of the season. However, Morgan has better physical tools than Walker and could eventually unseat him as the team's future blindside protector. In the meantime, Morgan is gifted enough to give Sean Rhyan a run for his money at right guard. It will definitely be one of the more interesting position battles to watch in training camp this summer.