The Green Bay Packers selected what appears to be a star in the making in wide receiver Matthew Golden in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. This is a nice change of pace for Packers fans, who do not hold the same collective excitement over 2024 first-round pick, Jordan Morgan.
It's not that Morgan is a bad player; it's just a lot harder to get excited over an offensive lineman who started just one game in his rookie season. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst certainly isn't doing Morgan any favors, either.
Gutekunst spoke to reporters during Packers training camp and was asked about the team's position battle at left tackle between Morgan and Rasheed Walker. The Packers' GM was non-committal to the first-round pick he made 15 months earlier, instead highlighting Walker's experience as a starting tackle.
Gutekunst on the LT competition between incumbent Rasheed Walker and Jordan Morgan:
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) July 23, 2025
"It's an open competition, but when you have 37 starts under your belt there's a comfort level that something would have to overtake that."
Packers GM puts Jordan Morgan on the hot seat during training camp
It's never a great look when a first-round pick only starts one game for his team in his rookie season. It's an even worse look when he is clearly behind in a position battle he should be winning in his second season.
Gutekunst didn't outright name Walker the starter as that will be decided throughout the course of training camp. However, it's clear that Walker has the advantage in the early stages of camp, heating Morgan's seat as a result.
Morgan should feel the pressure. While it's rare for a team to outright give up on a first-round pick before the end of their rookie contract, it's not unforeseen. And if Morgan can't prove that he is a starting-caliber tackle in his second season, there will be tough conversations about his future next spring.
What makes this even more frustrating for Packers fans is what could have been. The 2024 NFL Draft already looks like one of the best drafts in recent memory and there is a laundry list of talented players the Packers could have drafted instead of Morgan.
Cornerback Cooper DeJean and wide receiver Ladd McConkey were both taken in the second round despite being first-round talents. Both players would have been huge additions to the Packers last season.
Heck, even trading down may have yielded better results for the Packers. Kansas City traded down to take Xavier Worthy and the Packers could have leveraged that desire to accumulate more draft capital. Instead, the team took a project offensive lineman who may start a total of one game in his first two seasons.
Hopefully, for Packers fans, Morgan takes this not-so-subtle message from his GM and parlays it into a strong training camp and preseason. If not, his Packers future is far from guaranteed.