The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects who the Green Bay Packers could select in the 2025 NFL draft.
Corey Linsley started at center for the Green Bay Packers for seven seasons. After 89 career starts, the former Ohio State product was replaced by Josh Myers, another Ohio State center in 2021.
Brian Gutekunst selected Myers in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft and has since started 56 games at center for the Packers.
Myers is set to hit free agency and if the Packers don’t re-sign the former Ohio State Buckeye, Gutekunst could once again replace a Buckeye with a Buckeye.
Seth McLaughlin could be a Day 3 target for the Packers as they potentially look for Myers’ replacement. The Ohio State center checks in at No. 65 in the Unpacking Future Packers Countdown.
A transfer from Alabama, McLaughlin started 24 games at center for the Crimson Tide. McLaughlin started 10 games for the Buckeyes this year before having his season cut short due to an Achilles injury. Despite only playing in 10 games, McLaughlin still won the Rimington Trophy.
“McLaughlin’s greatest strength is being the smartest player on every football field he’s on,” Tony Gerdeman, the lead writer for Buckeye Huddle said. “He will pick up the offense and know his job and everybody else’s on the offensive line. He will put his linemates in the right spot on the vast majority of snaps. Coaches love him and he’s the kind of guy that can handle a playbook.”
McLaughlin may be the smartest player in this draft class. He’s a heady player who quickly sorts through movements. He has a great understanding of rush angles and uses his lateral quickness to cut off defenders. McLaughlin has patient hands and uses a timely punch to get into rushers. He’s able to reset his hands and has a strong core to anchor against power. In 10 games this season, McLaughlin gave up zero sacks and seven pressures.
“He got stronger at Ohio State than he was at Alabama, so that has helped in his ability to hold up against the pass rush,” Gerdeman said. “As with most centers, he is mobile and able to anticipate. The credit for some of the lack of pressure likely comes from the fact that he’s working against nose tackles rather than three techs, but he studies the opposition and is always prepared for what he’s going to face.”
The Ohio State center is comfortable on his feet and rapidly climbs to the second level. He’s able to redirect defenders to open up running lanes. He won’t win any bench press competitions, but he’s strong at the point of attack and is able to drive defenders downfield.
“His technique and awareness are elite,” Gerdeman said. “They help to make up for any lack of ideal physical abilities. The effort is always going to be there. He knows what will work offensively based on what his teammates do well and what the defense struggles to defend.”
Fit with the Packers
If the Packers let Myers walk, it’s reasonable to think the Packers already have his replacement on the roster in the form of one Elgton Jenkins.
Jenkins could slide from left guard to center, which would open the door for Jordan Morgan, last year’s first-round pick to start at left guard.
It’s also plausible that the Packers want to keep Jenkins at left guard, a position where he’s thrived.
If the Packers are to target a center in the 2025 NFL Draft, McLaughlin could be an ideal choice on Day 3.
He has a high football IQ and if he’s fully recovered from his season-ending injury, he could be a plug-and-play center.
“People still get hung up on some bad snaps at Alabama, but that was a Jalen Milroe clapping and ‘ready’ issue more than anything else,” Gerdeman said. “The NFL is aware of what those old issues were and it will not factor into his draft stock this year. McLaughlin has been a professional center for years already. The Achilles injury may cost him a round or two, but whoever drafts him will have somebody who can mentally handle everything they give him. He’s more physically equipped to handle it than he was a year ago.”
The Packers have had success drafting Ohio State centers in the past. With a potential job opening again, Gutekunst could once again turn to the Buckeye pipeline to find the future anchor of Green Bay’s offensive line.