A very important summer upcoming for Packers Sean Rhyan
By Paul Bretl
Training camp and the preseason is an important time for any young player in their development. But for the Green Bay Packers second-year player and former third-round pick Sean Rhyan, rather than battling for playing time or the focus being on him making a Year 2 leap like many NFL sophomores, he could end up competing just for a roster spot.
The Packers selected Rhyan in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of UCLA–ahead of Zach Tom, who they took in the fourth round. There, he spent most of his time at left tackle, and during his final season, he graded out very well as a run blocker, ranking 13th among all tackles, and he allowed just one sack and 13 pressures, according to PFF.
"“Very consistent in pass pro and run blocking. Very, very consistent,” said GM Brian Gutekunst via Packers News following the 2022 draft. “I thought he had some really good balance, flexibility for a man his size to be able to play with some leverage. His ability to do some of the things we ask of our offensive linemen, being able to play outside, being able to play inside. He just kind of fit us along with having prototypical size.”"
Unfortunately, Rhyan’s rookie season did not go as planned. He was ultimately suspended the final six games of the year for PEDs, but even before then, Rhyan spent most Sundays inactive as a healthy scratch–which, even without the suspension, is not a good sign for a top-100 pick.
Although he was primarily a tackle in college, Rhyan has been strictly an interior player along the Packers’ offensive line, which include some snaps at center with the second and third-team offenses during this year’s offseason programs. Center is a specific position that Matt LaFleur wanted more options at this summer, and he also mentioned OTAs and minicamp is the time of the year that they like to experiment with players lining up at different positions. For Rhyan, the more positions he can effectively play, the better.
On the one hand, the Packers spent an early-round pick on Rhyan, and he is only in his second season, which could warrant some additional leniency and time to develop. It’s also not as if the interior offensive line has a ton of experienced depth, either. Outside of the likely starters in Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, and Jon Runyan, only Royce Newman has seen somewhat significant playing time. Jake Hanson – who was sidelined during offseason programs still recovering from an injury – has just 75 career snaps, including a very rough start in Minnesota, and with Zach Tom, Green Bay may prefer to have him as a primary tackle rather than moving him inside.
But with that said, it’s not as if the Packers are afraid of moving on from third-round picks before their rookie contracts are close to being up. Recent examples of this include Jace Sternberger and Amari Rodgers. On top of that, while there isn’t a ton of experienced depth along the interior, the Packers have a lot of options at tackle.
David Bakhtiari will be on the left side, along with Tom and Yosh Nijman competing on the right side. Green Bay also has three developmental tackles that they rostered a season ago in Luke Tenuta, Caleb Jones, and Rasheed Walker. Choosing to go heavy at tackle on the 53-man roster could result in the Packers then going light at guard and center, potentially leaving Rhyan on the outside looking in.
At the end of the day, how Rhyan performs this summer will be the deciding factor, and to a degree, how the others perform around him, either along the interior or at tackle, will also play a role in the decision as the Packers construct their 53-man roster. But for a former third-round pick entering just his second season, by no means would I consider Rhyan to be a roster lock, like many who were in his draft position are.