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The Green Bay Packers and general manager Brian Gutekunst haven’t had much success in the third round of the NFL draft, and their most recent third-round pick could be on his way out this offseason.
Rookie tackle Sean Rhyan is the most likely Packer to get cut in cost-saving measures, according to The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman, who hedged on his prediction by noting that he doesn’t believe the Packers will actually have to release anyone to clear cap space.
“There’s really nobody I see getting cut to free up chunks of cap space, but for the purpose of this exercise, I’ll say it’s Rhyan,” Schneidman wrote in a February 25 story about one potential salary cap cut for each of the NFL’s 32 teams. “He was suspended for the last six games of his rookie season in 2022 for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.”
Gutekunst has already cleared some cap space this offseason by getting star running back Aaron Jones to agree to a $5 million pay cut, the Packers were also able to clear $16 million in cap space by restructuring the contracts of Preston Smith and Jaire Alexander.
A History of Third-Round Whiffs for the Packers
Green Bay’s most recent draft class featured some promising young players in Christian Watson, Quay Walker, Devonte Wyatt and Romeo Doubs. However, Rhyan has continued the trend of third-round picks not panning out for the Packers.
Before Rhyan, it was Amari Rodgers who was taken in the third round by the Packers in 2021. His career couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start, fumbling the ball seven times while only hauling in eight receptions over 26 games in Green Bay. His struggles as both a return man and receiver led to his release before the end of his second NFL season.
Other third-round picks over the last decade include Jace Sternberger, Oren Burks, Montravius Adams and Khryi Thornton. Josiah Deguara, who was drafted in 2020, has been the most recent relative success as a third-round pick, serving as primarily a blocking tight end/fullback in Matt LaFleur’s offensive scheme.
The team hasn’t drafted a true impact player in the third round since Morgan Burnett back in 2010. The former safety was a productive player in his eight seasons with the Packers, racking up 44 pass breakups, nine interceptions and eight forced fumbles over that span.
The 2023 draft could be where the Packers finally end their third-round drought, but fans will likely groan at whoever the team takes with that pick in April.
A Year to Forget for Sean Rhyan
Rhyan had a real shot at cracking Green Bay’s starting lineup on the offensive line as a rookie, but things didn’t go according to plan for the 22-year-old rookie.
Coming out of UCLA, Rhyan was a multi-year starter at left tackle for the Bruins. The Packers were hoping that he could bring versatility to their line given his frame, but Rhyan struggled to have an impact during training camp.
Fellow rookie Zach Tom eventually worked his way into the lineup while Rhyan sat on the bench. To make matters worse, he was dealt a six-game suspension for a PED violation that will carry over into the start of the 2023 season.
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Packers Projected to Release Disappointing Rookie