The days of lighter guys being added to the Green Bay Packers' offensive line are probably gone. Over the past two months, general manager Brian Gutekunst has added almost 700 pounds of power to the line, signing guard Aaron Banks in free agency and drafting Anthony Belton in the second round of the draft.
Belton doesn't appear with a designation position in the previous paragraph for a reason. While he played mostly left tackle at NC State, the Packers think he can play both tackle and guard spots, and his versatility for a man of his size was an impactful combination for Green Bay.
"Anthony is a huge man, he's really versatile as we like. He has the ability to play all four positions. He's never really done any center, but he probably can play both tackle and both guard spots," Gutekunst said after Day 2 of the draft. "He's a mauler in the run game, he's very athletic. Checked a lot of boxes for us all the way through, had a great Senior Bowl. He was one of those guys you never know if you'll be able to acquire, but he has so much power in his body, fits what we wanna do."
This is not an accident. The Packers purposefully added big players to the line, and this is what they expect their offense to look like in 2025.
"Especially when you play in the NFC North. We play in the cold, you can wear people down as the season goes along and the elements change," explained Packers vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan. "It's kind of the way we're raised in this thing up here. We want to be big across the front, we want to be physical, wanna be able to overwhelm with size and physicality. That's what attracted us to him. He's a good football player, but he happens to be a huge man as well."
That's also how Belton sees himself. A 6-6, 336 pound man, the athlete wants to impose his will against defenders.
"I feel like when it comes to my size, I take pride in my physicality," Belton said after his selection. "I love finishing some blocks, I love getting pancakes. I love to use my size to my advantage."
Belton was usually perceived as more of a third- to fourth-round pick, being a significant reach compared to the consensus big board.
In the Packers' perspective, though, the move was worth it—especially considering a run of offensive linemen to the NFC North right after Green Bay's pick, with the Chicago Bears selecting tackle Ozzy Trapilo and the Detroit Lions taking guard Tate Ratledge.
