It’s early. Way, way, wayyyy too early – call it five minutes after midnight. Yet, three practices deep in Green Bay Packers Training Camp, Jake Hanson has lined up with the starting offense at Right Guard on two of those days.
Hanson was selected by the Packers in the 6th round of the 2020 Draft. At University of Oregon, he started 49 games across four seasons at Center and didn’t allow a sack until his senior year. The two-time AP PAC 12 Second Team Selection is now seeing more reps at Guard, which isn’t surprising given the Packers philosophy of versatility they seek with their lineman.
“He’s a guy that has consistently improved since he’s been here”, Head Coach Matt Lafleur said of Hanson. “You’re going to see a lot of OL Groups, especially early”.
While David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins continue to recover from their injuries, Hanson, who was cut in his rookie season and found himself on the Packers practice squad, has a golden opportunity in front of him. While Green Bay sorts through who will start the season at Left Tackle, Right Guard and Right Tackle, Hanson has as much of a shot as anyone, evidenced by the coaches in giving him first-team reps in two out of three practices thus far.
Meanwhile, Packers rookie WR Romeo Doubs continues to be the talk of Training Camp as he’s turned heads and opened eyes at 1265 Lombardi Avenue. NFL Insider Jordan Schultz appeared on the Pat McAfee show on Friday and had this to say about Doubs.
“Doubs was a mid round pick, comes from Nevada, there wasn’t as much hype around him. He is someone who lit up the PAC 12, lit up every defense in the country and when I talk to the Green Bay players and staff, they keep talking about this guy. I’m not even bringing him up. They’re like this kid has it all. The routes, he’s bigger than they thought he was, he’s faster, he’s tough. I think he’s going to be a star for Green Bay”.
In other notes, Sammy Watkins made his Packers Training Camp Debut on Friday, someone who the Packers are counting on to make significant contributions for the offense in 2022.
Additionally, it appears that Rashan Gary could start the season today, if need-be. According to Coach LaFleur, Gary would’ve had 4 sacks in his estimation during Thursday’s practice, as he consistently beat up on Yosh Nijman, Zach Tom and Royce Newman. To hear more about Gary’s hot start, check out Andy Herman’s Video around the 15:15 mark.
The Packers practice today, followed by an off-day on Sunday and another practice on Monday, August 1st. For the entire Packers Training Camp Schedule, you can find it here.
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Alex grew up in a family of Chicago Bears fans in the suburbs of Chicago but was always a Packers guy. Alex\'s AIM name when he was in elementary/middle school was PackerAlex. He now lives in Nashville, Tennessee and you can follow him on twitter at @Alex_Mayer93.
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