Jager Burton brings vital versatility to an interior offensive line plagued by uncertainty, positioning himself to challenge struggling veterans for snaps during a critical Super Bowl window for the Green Bay Packers.
We're officially 43 days from the start of the 2026 NFL season for the Green Bay Packers. Whether you're ready or not, football season is here.
The Packers kick off their 2026 season against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Sept. 13, from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Talk about pressure. The Vikings are certainly in a transitional place as a franchise, but getting going against an NFC North foe ratchets up the intensity of this season from the get-go.
It's a big season for the Packers. There's a belief that they're in a Super Bowl window right now, which means every single game is important. That means the intensity will be there in Week 2 at MetLife Stadium against the New York Jets and it will certainly be there in Week 3 against the Atlanta Falcons, when the Packers will play at Lambeau Field for the first time in 2026.
There's going to be a lot of proverbial ink spilled on this 2026 season and we here at PackersRoundtable hope that you spend as much time as possible with us talking about the ins and outs and ups and downs of the Packers.
As we prepare for the 2026 season, though, we're going to kick things off with a rankings series looking at the Top 50 Packers heading into the 2025 season.
At No. 43, we have offensive lineman Jager Burton
Ranking the Top 50 Packers Heading Into 2026: No. 43, Jager Burton
Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Jager Burton (52) runs through a drill during practice on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, at Ray Nitschke Field in Ashwaubenon, Wis. Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.There seems to be a ton of excitement in the air for Jager Burton, at least considering the context. That context is the fact that he's a rookie, fifth-round pick interior offensive lineman prospect.
There's nothing "sexy" about a late round interior offensive lineman pick, but there's intrigue surrounding Burton because of the perceived lack of strength in the interior of Green Bay's offensive line — and specifically at left guard.
There, Aaron Banks is expected to be the starter, but he's largely been a disappointment, especially considering his four-year, $77 million contract.
The hope with Burton is that if Banks struggles, perhaps he could use his 6-foot-4, 312-pound frame to at least give the veteran a run for his money.
At the very least, Burton has experience playing both center and guard at the college level, so he projects to be an important depth player for the Packers on the offensive line. If Sean Rhyan, Anthony Belton or Banks gets injured in 2026, there's a world in which Burton could find himself playing important snaps.
That's a lot to put on a rookie fifth-rounder, but that's life in the NFL.
2025 Synopsis:
Burton started all 12 games for the Kentucky Wildcats at center. He was a team captain for four games and also invited to the East-West Shrine Bowl
Notable Quotables:
"He does his job. He does it at a comfort level, not a panic level. He's a big dude. He's a big guy, which is what we love. I was very pleased that he was there. I never, ever would have thought he would be there. It was a win for us." - Matt Malaspina
Projected role in 2026:
You don't want to see Burton out there in 2026 because that means someone has gotten injured or someone has struggled. With that said, players get banged up every week in the NFL and the Packers have also been known to use rotations on the offensive line when they're not 100-percent sure on a player. Could Burton rotate in for Banks, or even Belton at right guard? It's absolutely a potential scenario.
Previous Rankings:
