Green Bay Packers rookie Zach Tom doesn’t exactly look like a typical NFL left tackle, but his head coach believes he has the right combination of athleticism and technique to handle the stressful position.
Tom, the Packers’ fourth-round pick, is already getting team reps in left tackle to start training camp.
“I know it’s a different game but he did it in college and he’s got the athleticism and he’s got great technique. He really does,” said coach Matt LaFleur. “For what he may lack in sheer size, he can really lower his hips and anchors and is doing a great job with that.”
At 6-4 and 304 pounds, Tom is almost the same height as five-time All-Pro David Bakhtiari, who came from Colorado, 6-4 and 299 pounds. Like Bakhtiari, Tom will need to rely on his athleticism (Relative Athletic Score of 9.59 in offensive tackles) and ability to be technically sound to address some of the size concerns at the position.
The comparison between Tom and Bakhtiari is probably not even the best out there. Tom and Rashawn Slater — a Los Angeles Chargers first-round pick who made the Pro Bowl as a rookie left tackle — are nearly identical in terms of height and athletic ability:
That’s not to say Tom will be the next Bakhtiari or Slater. It should show that players of his size can also be successful on the edges of the offensive line.
Tom started 24 games in left tackle for Wake Forest. His collegiate tape features a player who always had pass protection under control, using balance, footwork and an understanding of angle, leverage and hand use to consistently keep edge rushers out of the pocket.
Tom’s lack of size might be a bigger problem at the NFL level, where almost all edge rushers are huge athletes. But his work against first-round pick Jermaine Johnson in the 2021 season proves Tom’s combination of skills is more than enough to win against high-end rushers.
The Packers are giving Tom a legitimate chance to develop his skills at the most important position on the offensive line. Undersized doesn’t mean incompetent. It just requires more in other areas, and LaFleur and the Packers are confident Tom will check the other important boxes for a left tackle player.