Any time an NFL front office spends a second-round pick on a player, the expectation should be that he will develop into a consistent contributor in the starting lineup. Still, I can’t help but think that Green Bay Packers guard Anthony Belton‘s most likely long-term role is as a swing tackle.
At 6’6” and over 330 lbs., Belton has the frame of a prototypical NFL tackle. However, despite his size, Belton spent most of his rookie season at guard, logging 465 of his 558 blocking snaps on the interior in 2025.
The results were far from encouraging. Belton finished with the ninth-lowest pass-blocking grade among 71 guards with at least 250 pass-blocking snaps. He also allowed the highest pressure rate among starting right guards in the NFL.
Green Bay reportedly views Belton as their right guard of the future, and he has spent this offseason learning the position. Still, it’s fair to wonder whether that’s the best long-term fit. He isn’t a natural guard, having played his entire college career at tackle. Meanwhile, his size and frame are much better suited for the outside.
“I don’t think there’s any reason not to leave him [at guard], at least for the immediate future,” Packers OC Adam Stenavich said last year about moving Belton along the offensive line.
Green Bay is likely giving him every opportunity at guard because that’s where its depth is thinnest, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s where he’ll provide the most value over the course of his career.
Sure, we have no evidence that Belton will continue to struggle. Still, we also haven’t seen many encouraging signs that a significant leap forward is imminent. That raises the possibility that the best way to maximize his value in the short term is as a swing tackle.
Jordan Morgan and Zach Tom will open the season on the outside, while fifth-round pick Jager Burton has earned plenty of praise from Matt LaFleur this offseason and looks like a realistic candidate to carve out playing time early in the year. Sean Rhyan appears set to start at center, and Aaron Banks isn’t making the kind of money that suggests he’ll be sitting on the bench.
More importantly, Green Bay needs a contingency plan if Jordan Morgan doesn’t perform well at tackle. He’s an unknown at the position, and not having a backup plan could compromise the entire offensive line’s structure.
Nobody wants a player you invested a second-round pick in sitting on the bench, but the priority should always be getting the best five linemen on the field. There’s a realistic chance that Jager Burton arrives in August looking like a better guard than Belton, which would make Belton’s versatility as a swing tackle even more valuable.
Belton will likely open the season as Green Bay’s starting right guard, but his situation will be worth monitoring as the year unfolds. Much will depend on how he performs, as well as how quickly Jager Burton develops.
