Packers Elgton Jenkins Jumps Into First Round of 2019 Re-Draft

Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins is one of the best guards in the NFL. Recently, he was praised for his work, coming in with a very high ranking among players at the position.

Hindsight is 20/20, but the Packers being able to select Elgton Jenkins in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft is one of the biggest steals of that year. Some of the offensive linemen taken before him include Andre Dillard, who is now his teammate in Green Bay, and Greg Little, who last played in the NFL in 2022.

Another offensive lineman who was selected ahead of the Mississippi State product was Garrett Bradberry. An interior offensive lineman from North Carolina State, Bradberry was selected No. 18 overall by the Minnesota Vikings.

However, in a 2019 NFL Re-Draft done by Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report, the Packers rivals pass on Bradberry. Instead, they take Elgton Jenkins, who was listed as a center when Green Bay called his name five years ago.

“Simply put, the Vikings can snap up Jenkins here and determine the best starting spot for him after the fact. Minnesota threw a few darts at the offensive line in the years after 2019, using a 2020 second-round pick on Ezra Cleveland, a 2021 first-round pick on Christian Darrisaw and a 2022 second-round pick on Ed Ingram,” Knox wrote.

The Vikings could have plugged Elgton Jenkins into the starting center spot, where Bradberry has been. Or, they could have used him anywhere else along the offensive line.

Versatility is one of the things that drew the Packers to the former Bulldog in the first place. He has played every position for Green Bay except right tackle, filling in wherever he is needed.

For now, he has settled in at left guard, where he has earned Pro Bowl honors twice; in 2020 and 2022. Bradberry has been solid for the Vikings since some early struggles, but not Pro Bowl-level good.

Not only would their woes along the offensive line he fixed, but Minnesota would be taking away a stellar player from their division rivals. The Packers are certainly happy with how things turned out, as Elgton Jenkins is an important piece to the puzzle in the trenches.

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