Green Bay Packers rookie offensive lineman Jordan Morgan only played a handful of games in 2024. Morgan split time between right tackle and left guard as a rookie, leveraging his athleticism in the Packers’ zone-blocking scheme. In the games he did play, he rotated in and out on a series-by-series basis with right guard Sean Rhyan. In Week 9, Morgan kicked over to left guard when Elgton Jenkins had to play center.

However, Morgan’s rookie season might be mostly defined by injury rather than position versatility. He battled a shoulder injury through the first nine weeks, appearing in just six games before being listed on season-ending injured reserve the day before their game in Week 11 after a bye week.

Pass protection

Morgan showed flashes of his college agility, using quick feet to mirror speed rushers. He allowed only seven pressures over six games with four of them versus the Lions. He gave up zero sacks. In true pass sets (no play action or screens), he gave up four pressures. He also had a 3.2% blown block rate per Sports Info Solutions.

Here, Morgan shows off his play strength, one of his best attributes in college. Often he could be seen on film latching onto defenders and stonewalling their pass rush. Here that’s no exception with the pass rush from Jordan Davis early in the third quarter.

He’s aided by the scheme here as it slows down Davis on the flee-flicker. Morgan catches the defender by the shoulders up high and Davis is unable to get any extension of his arms and immediately loses leverage.

Perhaps the biggest trait that stands out on tape is his play strength. On several pass protection reps, Morgan stonewalls and drives defenders away from the quarterback and keeps the pocket clean.

While not a great rep, it is nonetheless a good rep that shows Morgan’s strength and ability to recover. The Cardinals defensive tackle bull rushes him into the backfield so Morgan leans forward and anchors to slow down the rush. The defender pulls him to the side and Morgan anchors his feet, stops his momentum, and recovers to drive his defender past the pocket.

One underrated aspect to his pass protection ability is the awareness he shows to keep his head on a swivel and looking for work with no immediate threats.

The Packers offensive line is full sliding to their left here with six potential pass rushers along the front in “70-71” pass protection. 70-71 is similar to jet pass protection (halfback + five offensive line) but instead of the halfback, the protection keep the Y tight end in to block with the five offensive line instead of the running back.

The offensive line is squeezing down to the left with the front away from the tight end. Morgan has the A-gap and would be responsible for the MIKE linebacker (No. 51) if he rushed, but with no threat as the MIKE bails to an underneath zone, he constantly surveys the rush looking for work. He ends up blocking the inside rusher as he rushes the B-gap just long enough to allow Jordan Love to get a pass off for a completion.

He also showed great stunt recognition as well.

In both of these reps, because he’s constantly scanning and punching to protect his outside while also providing help to the blocker next to him, he’s able to recognize the looper on defensive line stunts and free himself up for when he has to engage them. This contributes to the little bit of extra time Love can buy to either scramble or get a throw off.

In 1-on-1 situations, Morgan is very tough to beat too.

These two reps above show the difficulty in going up against him 1-on-1. He keeps a good base, good hand placement, and gets into a forward lean position where he’s putting all of his body weight on the pass rusher, effectively killing the rush.

Against the Cardinals rusher in the video above, he gets his hands under the armpits of the pass rusher and utilizes a sort of forklift technique, leveraging the defender’s forward momentum to kill the rush here too.

Run blocking

Morgan demonstrates excellent leverage and power at the point of attack as a run blocker, making him a formidable force in the trenches. In run blocking, he had a 2.5% blown block rate per Sports Info Solutions.

His ability to engage defenders, maintain a strong base, and drive them out of their assigned gaps is a key asset to the running game.

By displacing defenders, he creates clear running lanes and opens creases for the running backs to exploit. This skill is particularly valuable in short-yardage situations or when the offense needs to establish a physical presence on the ground.

His strength and technique allow him to consistently win one-on-one matchups, making him a reliable option for the team’s ground attack.

The video evidence further underscores why he is such a valuable asset to the team’s running game. Whether it’s sealing off edge defenders, driving interior linemen backward, or climbing to the second level to take on linebackers, his impact is consistently visible.

His combination of strength, footwork, and football IQ allows him to excel in both zone and power schemes, making him a versatile piece of the offensive line.

Areas to improve

While there may be areas for improvement, such as refining his technique to reduce blown blocks, his overall performance and ability to create opportunities for the quarterback and running backs make him a key contributor to the offense.

One crucial area he needs to improve in and get stronger with is anchoring in pass protection. While he is effective in 1-on-1 situations, his technique is still being refined and he showed great improvement over the course of his pass game snaps.

In these pass game reps, his inability to anchor effectively as an interior guard created instant pressure for the quarterback, speeding up the quarterback’s process. Mostly this was an issue because of his transition from college offensive tackle to NFL offensive guard.

As a tackle, there is more space to work with on the edge with pass sets and hand engagement. As a guard, there is less space and the guard has to be quicker to react and engage while reading the rush because the pass rush can get home to the quarterback quicker up the middle than the edge. Interior pressure creates more hurried/rushed throws from the quarterback.

Outlook

If he can refine his anchoring technique and get stronger in his pass sets, then the Packers likely found another gem on the offensive line. He does more than enough to make up for the lack of anchoring and we may see them kick him out to tackle depending on what the team decides to do with Rasheed Walker, whose contract is up after the 2025 season.

It’s uncertain right now what the plan is but all signs seem to be pointing to the Packers wanting Morgan at left tackle. It’s early in the offseason and with the draft coming up, that may give us more answers or clues as to what the immediate plan for Morgan will be.