Title: Elgton Jenkins Earns First-Team All-NFC North Honor as Packers' Lone Offensive Standout
The Green Bay Packers stumbled to a disappointing third place finish in the NFC North this season, struggling to a 1-5 record against divisional opponents. This was their worst divisional performance since 2005.
Bob McGinn, the esteemed Pro Football Hall of Fame reporter and former long-time Packers cover for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, now working for golongtd.com, put together an All-NFC North team. Unsurprisingly, the Packers only managed one first-team selection on offense – left guard Elgton Jenkins.
Running back Josh Jacobs, left tackle Rasheed Walker, right guard Sean Ryhan, right tackle Zach Tom, and tight end Tucker Kraft all finished in second place at their respective positions. Quarterback Jordan Love and center Josh Myers came in third.
Wide receivers were a significant weakness for the Packers, with Romeo Doubs leading the group in a disappointing seventh place finish.
Let's break down the performances of Green Bay's offensive players:
Quarterback
Green Bay's Jordan Love finished third behind Detroit's Jared Goff and Minnesota's Sam Darnold. Scouts praised Love's potential, saying, "When he's on, he's really good. You’ve got to factor in, he was hurt (knee injury, 80.1% play time). He’s still a young player. When he’s right, I don’t see anything lacking."
Running Back
Green Bay's Josh Jacobs finished second, behind Detroit's Jahmyr Gibbs. Packers fans will miss Aaron Jones, who finished third in this category.
Left Tackle
Rasheed Walker finished second, behind Detroit's Taylor Decker. One scout said, "What was he? Seventh-rounder? It’s kind of amazing because they might have found a left tackle. How do you figure that? He’s got tools. Got a little nasty side to him. He’s not above doing something bonehead once in a while but he’s cleaned up his penalties a lot."
Left Guard
Elgton Jenkins, the Packers' lone first-team selection, held off Detroit's Graham Glasgow to win this category. One scout described Jenkins as "just a good player, and that’s run or pass. And he has no problems rubbing somebody's nose in it."
Center
While the Packers had a strong showing in some areas, their center position didn't fare so well. Josh Myers finished third behind Detroit's Frank Ragnow and Minnesota's Garrett Bradbury. "I was really disappointed in him," one scout said. "He just falls off blocks. He doesn’t finish. It’s not because of lack of effort. It’s lack of ability."
Right Guard
Green Bay's Sean Rhyan finished second behind Detroit's Kevin Zeitler. One scout lauded Rhyan's ability to "move people."
Right Tackle
Detroit's Penei Sewell topped the chart, with Green Bay's Zach Tom taking second place. One scout commended Tom's consistency, saying, "He is so consistent that he’s boring. He wins all the time. Good hands, good feet (as a pass blocker). He manages to take care of job 1: stay in front of the guy. He does it against power. Very, very effective offensive lineman."
Wide Receivers
The Packers' wide receivers had a rough season, finishing way down the list. Romeo Doubs led the group with a seventh-place finish. Some scouts were less than impressed with the group, saying, "They can’t catch."
Tight End
Green Bay's Tucker Kraft finished second behind Detroit's Sam LaPorta. One scout admired Kraft's running abilities, saying, "Where Kraft stands out really is run after the catch. He’s got speed, he’s got a little bit of elusiveness, he’s got some power to run through things. He’s got some long catch-and-runs this year. His blocking is OK. Kind of like LaPorta’s. He tries to be tough like LaPorta but I don’t think he is. It’s more of fake toughness."
In the All-NFC North team selection by Bob McGinn, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love finished third, trailing Detroit's Jared Goff and Minnesota's Sam Darnold.
Despite Green Bay's struggles, running back Josh Jacobs managed to secure a second-place finish behind Detroit's Jahmyr Gibbs in the same All-NFC North team.
When discussing the performances of NFC North centers, Detroit's Frank Ragnow finished ahead of Green Bay's Josh Myers, with Minnesota's Garrett Bradbury coming in third.
