After trading up to select North Dakota State wide receiver Christian Watson to kick off Day 2 of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers have now selected UCLA offensive lineman Sean Rhyan with the 92nd pick.
Rhyan is an incredibly versatile offensive lineman with tons of experience at left tackle after being the anchor for head coach Chip Kelly’s zone-read scheme for the past three seasons. However, with his build, Rhyan will best serve as a guard at the professional level. Rhyan will have some work to do to polish up his game until he can establish himself as a starting offensive lineman in the NFL.
Strengths:
At 6’5, 321 Rhyan has a thick, compact build with massive 11 1/8″ hands. As a run blocker, Rhyan would truly be at his strength in a power or zone scheme.
Rhyan does a great job of moving up into the next level in the run game and being able to take on linebackers cleanly, further pushing the potential he could have at the guard position. In pass protection, Rhyan has only allowed one sack since 2020.
As a former track and rugby star, Rhyan showcased exceptional traits of toughness and durability that should translate well into his game. As a three-year starter at UCLA, Rhyan never missed a start during his entire 31-game career.
Weaknesses:
Transitioning to the professional level could become an early struggle for Rhyan. Rhyan had issues at times at left tackle showing weaknesses in his range and recovery skills on the outside. Most notably, he also had issues at UCLA with false start penalties becoming a frequent issue in his game.
Team Fit:
Rhyan should fit into the Packers’ offensive line room as a valuable depth option and builds upon general manager Brian Gutekunst’s tendencies of selecting mid-round versatile offensive linemen.
Ideally, Rhyan will slide inside at guard for the Packers providing depth and competition behind Jon Runyan and Royce Newman. Once Elgton Jenkins returns to the lineup for the Packers, Rhyan will likely be used as a depth chess piece at either tackle or guard.
Rhyan’s strength in the run game should pair well with the Packers’ zone blocking scheme while potentially opening up running lanes for Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon.
With his multi-positional versatility, Rhyan could also be able to battle out for the right tackle spot with Yosh Nijman and Cole Van Lanen depending on how the Packers view him early on in training camp.
Rhyan likely will begin his career experimenting at tackle while using his guard upside as a failsafe.
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Kole Noble is a lifelong Packers fan currently living in North Carolina and is a huge NFL Draft nut. You can follow him on twitter at @SlawSportsShow.
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