Detroit Lions, NFC North Position Rankings: Offensive Line

2. Green Bay Packers

Unlike the other teams mentioned so far, the Green Bay Packers actually have their best linemen on the outside rather than the inside. Last season, left tackle David Bakhtiari was rated by Pro Football Focus as the best pass protecting lineman in the league. Winning this award is great, but winning it at only 25 years old is even better. Teams search long and hard for a stud left tackle, meanwhile, the Packers drafted their four years ago.

The other tackle is Bryan Bulaga who may not get the recognition that Bakhtiari gets but might deserve similar praise. A key component in the Packers offense is having their tackles win one on one matchups consistently. Both Bulaga and Bakhtiari continue to do this, leading to a stronger overall offense.

The interior has suffered some loss in recent seasons, specifically at guard, as Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang have both moved on from the team. The Packers managed to handle Sitton’s loss well, as they plugged Lane Taylor into that spot and haven’t looked back since. Taylor has started every game and should continue improving after another season as the starter.

Lang moving on was more of a surprise to the team. So much of a surprise in fact that they went out and signed veteran Jahri Evans as a placeholder for this upcoming season. Evans has been a great pro, starting almost every game for the New Orleans Saints since 2006, but he’s simply getting too old. At 33, this could very well be his last season, and him starting the entire year is even questionable.

The Packers also have a question at center. Corey Linsley was drafted by the Packers back in 2014 and took over as the starting center after an injury to then-starter J.C. Tretter. He held his starting position unless injured but always had Tretter right behind him ready to win the job back.

This year, Tretter has moved on to the Cleveland Browns, leaving Linsley alone with the position. That competition could have been what was pushing him to be great. So the Packers hope with Tretter gone, Linsley will still trend upwards.