Most second round picks are expected to contribute as rookies in the modern NFL. The Green Bay Packers would be wise to exercise more caution when it comes to tackle Anthony Belton. The former NC State standout will likely need a redshirt season at the pro level before he's ready to log meaningful snaps.
The good news for fans in Green Bay is that, barring injury, there's no need to throw Belton right into the fire. Zach Tom is one of the best right tackles in football. The bigger question about him centers around whether or not he'll get a new contract to keep him with the franchise for the long haul.
Rasheed Walker is not a star on the left side but he is a serviceable starter. He is the player who should be feeling the most heat due to Belton's arrival on the roster. Despite his faults, Walker should be the strong favorite to hold on to his starting spot this season.
The ideal role for Belton in his rookie season will be to serve as a backup at both spots. It might challenge him mentally to learn both the left and right side at the pro level but that's something the team's coaching staff should work with him on during the preseason.
If he's forced into real game action, things could get ugly in a hurry. The Packers drafted Belton because of his elite physical traits. He's a massive human with good feet that allow him to flash as both a pass and run blocker. His technique still needs a lot of work. Elite speed rushers will have a field day until he learns to minimize his wasted motion during pass blocking sets.
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To the rookie's credit, he's already earning plaudits from the team's coaching staff for working to transform his body. He's already dropped some bad weight after his final collegiate season. That's allowing Belton to showcase more of his functional athleticism on a regular basis. He's not going to complete his body transformation in one season but it's good news for Green Bay that his early work habits have him moving in the right direction.
None of that makes GM Brian Gutekunst's choice to spend such a premium draft pick on such a raw player more logical. The Packers are a team whose Super Bowl window is wide open this season. It would have been more prudent for the franchise to select a player with a higher probability of contributing as a rookie.
More specifically, spending a second-rounder on a cornerback or edge rusher capable of playing right away would have had a superior impact on the Packers' win total in 2025. It's clear Green Bay felt like Belton's long-range potential to grow into a starting tackle out weighted any of those short-term concerns when they went on the clock.
Gutekunst and his front office would likely argue that nabbing a potential high-quality starter at left tackle in Round 2 represented the greatest upside in their 2025 draft. That is a reasonable point of view. The challenge is that Belton has a lot of development ahead of him if he's going to blossom into that kind of productive pro.
The Packers are making a big bet on their evaluation of Belton. It's also a massive vote of confidence in the team's coaching staff to help the athletic tackle get the most out of his talent. Head coach Matt LaFleur and his offensive coaching staff will need to put in a lot of hours with Belton to get his tecnhique up to the standards of pro football.
In the end, it will be several years before the Belton pick can truly be evaluated fairly. If he takes over for Walker in 2026 and plays like an above-average starter then the Packers can say they made the best pick for the franchise's long-term health.
If, on the other hand, they are forced to throw Belton into the fire this year the whole thing could blow up in Gutekunst's face. One missed block from Belton could damage Jordan Love. If that happens, Packers fans will have every right to loudly question the team's gamble in Round 2. The less Belton is forced to play as a rookie the better off Green Bay's season will go.