Paul Bretl | 5/9/2025
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Second-round pick Anthony Belton played 2,251 career college snaps, according to PFF, and none of them came at guard. The Packers, however, believe that Belton can make the move inside if that’s what is needed, and Belton believes so as well.
“I feel like I’m pretty versatile when it comes to that aspect, being able to play tackle but also leaning back on my physicality to be able to play guard,” Belton said during rookie minicamp.
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As Packers’ VP of Player Personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan described on Day 2 of the NFL draft, what gives the Packers the confidence that Belton could play inside is the “size, the girth, and ability to move people” that he possesses.
During the pre-draft process, Belton measured in at 6-6 and weighed 336 pounds. His strength and conditioning coach gave him the nickname ‘Escalade’ because of his size and how smoothly he moved.
“Over time, I grew bigger but I just learned how to play with it,” Belton said. “I knew I was a big guy and I knew I could rely on my physicality in a lot of aspects, especially run game. So, when it came to me being bigger, I feel like I was able to take that to an advantage when it came to run game.”
The Packers have often prioritized size along the offensive line under GM Brian Gutekunst, but Belton’s people-moving play style also matches the shift that we saw take place within the Green Bay offense last season.
With Josh Jacobs at running back, rather than being an outside zone-heavy offense that we saw in previous years under Matt LaFleur, the Packers were more of a gap, power running team, with Jacobs frequently getting north and south to run between the tackles. It was clear during free agency with the addition of Aaron Banks that the Packers were going to continue to lean into this running style this season, and Belton further fits that mold.
“Especially just being here just today, especially just seeing how the offense is, offensive line, they want to attack,” said Belton. “They’re going to be physical, so they want to kind of be dominant up front.”
This past season at NC State, Belton took a big step forward. According to PFF’s metrics, he went from allowing 22 pressures in 2023 to just 12 this past season over 438 pass-blocking reps. Out of 131 eligible tackles, Belton ranked tied for 32nd in pass-blocking efficiency. His play in the run game very much improved as well.
In part, Belton attributes this growth to his approach to the game mentally, which includes how he studies film to better anticipate what was coming pre-snap, along with cleaning up some technical aspects of his game, like hand placement and pad level.
“So I had a bad habit of kind of collecting instead of striking,” Belton said. “So, a lot of times guys kind of collect it and that’s kind of giving up your chest, so that invites bull rushes. So, now you’re in the quarterback’s lap and especially at this level, you can’t do that against guys like Chase Young, J.J. Watt.
“When it comes to that aspect, I need to do a better job of just using my inside hands and also using my length, keeping that separation so I can’t let guys get in my body.”
While Belton has the size and physicality to operate inside, he also has the footwork and length to play out on the edge. Where Belton is going to end up is far from decided, but in the short term, his ability to play four of the five positions up front gives the Packers’ offensive line depth a major boost, which was a big need coming into the offseason. In the long run, with several current starters set to hit free agency in 2026, Belton can be a starting-caliber player.
“Just my mindset every day,” Belton said, “I just want to be a sponge, continue to learn, but also be the best version of myself when it comes, if it’s on the field, off the field, making sure I’m in the playbook. I feel like all that kind of lines up to allow me to be able to come in, compete and be able to get reps with all the guys.”