With preferred starting center Elgton Jenkins now on the injured reserve, likely to have played his last game with the Green Bay Packers due to his 2026 cap hit, and his injury replacement, Sean Rhyan,
on the final year of his rookie contract, many Packers fans are wondering who their center will be in 2026. If Rhyan isn’t extended, or the team doesn’t want to move forward with Jacob Monk — the only 53-man roster player who has experience at the position other than starting right tackle Zach Tom — then it will likely be a draft pick.
But what does the 2026 draft outlook look like at the center position? We’re gonna try to answer that question in this article.
Below is a table of all of the top-150 offensive line prospects in the 2026 draft, per the consensus draft board, and which positions they’ve actually played for their college programs this year. They’re tiered based on the Packers’ draft choices, which are set to be #56, #88 and #124 in the first four rounds, as it stands right now. I only used the top 150, because after that, the media’s ability to project the draft is pretty poor. Frequently, guys ranked in the 150s are available post-draft. For the most part, I think the top 150 is all that people outside of organizations actually making the picks should care about until selections are made in April.
Packers’ center options in the 2nd round
Connor Lew, Auburn
Lew is right on the edge of being considered in the Packers’ range for their first pick of the 2026 draft. He does come with some baggage, though. Easily the top center in a weak center class, Lew tore his ACL back in October. He should be ready to go by the start of the regular season, but I’m not sure a team with urgency at the position, like the Packers, can turn in a second-round pick for a player who might not be able to even go through his rookie training camp.
Despite the season-ending injury, Lew has yet to officially declare for the NFL draft, unlike some injured players in the past. It’s also worth noting here that his head coach, Hugh Freeze, has already been fired in-season. Keep an eye on this situation, as it could go either way.
Jake Slaughter, Florida
When I’ve talked to people in the scouting world about Jake Slaughter, the phrase that keeps coming back my way is “PFF darling.” That is their way of saying, nicely, that the metrics like him more than the scouts do. Some that I’ve talked to have him much lower, like a mid-Day 3 option or UDFA, than the online rankings. Last season, Slaughter was a first-team All-SEC player and a first-team All-American. The redshirt senior will turn 23 years old in less than a month.
Packers’ center options in the 3rd round
Iapani Laloulu, Oregon
Out of the top center prospects, I’ve probably done the least amount of work on Laloulu this year, which is ironic considering I’m a Ducks fan. When I’ve watched him live, he’s seemed fine, but I have nothing to really add beyond that. It is worth noting that he’s the third-ranked offensive lineman on his own team in the consensus draft board currently, as his left tackle and left guard are expected to go off the board by the mid-second round.
Laloulu is only a true junior, but might be a player who actually declares early, despite the high price of NIL deals in 2025. At 325 pounds, he’s the type of center that the Packers would probably like to add.
Parker Brailsford, Alabama
If you want to talk about the polar opposite of Laloulu, I give you Parker Brailsford, who some scouts believe is still playing at around 280 pounds. While he has gained substantial weight during his college career, there is still concern that he might be too small for the league.
Considering that the Packers have rapidly gained mass on the offensive line recently, including the 2025 additions of Anthony Belton (336 pounds), Darian Kinnard (328), Aaron Banks (325) and John Williams (322), I don’t think that he’s going to be Green Bay’s cup of tea. Unless he comes in over 300 at the combine this offseason, I would just scratch him off the board entirely if I were trying to project what the Packers will actually do on draft day.
Packers’ center options in the 4th round
Matt Gulbin, Michigan State
We’ve written about this before in our college open threads, but the Green Bay Packers have made three trips to watch the Michigan State Spartans play this year, despite the team being 3-7 and 0-7 in the Big Ten. That’s really, really odd. Michigan State doesn’t have very many pro prospects, but one emerging player on the roster is center Matt Gulbin.
The Wake Forest transfer is 312 pounds, by no means small for an NFL center, and is a redshirt senior, so he is going to be in this draft class for sure. For what it’s worth, here’s how ESPN’s Mel Kiper ranks the true center prospects:
- Connor Lew, Auburn
- Logan Jones, Iowa (we’ll get to him in a second)
- Jake Slaughter, Florida
- Iapani Laloulu, Oregon
- Matt Gulbin, Michigan State
- Parker Brailsford, Alabama
For what it’s worth, Kiper also has Oregon’s Alex Harkey ranked over Laloulu, which makes Laloulu the fourth-ranked true center in college football but also the fourth-ranked offensive lineman on his own team, to give you some perspective on how this offensive line class is shaping out.
Despite coming into the program in January, Gulbin was named a captain for this year’s Michigan State team. He had previously started 23 games at Wake Forest, 22 at guard and 1 at center. In 2024, he was the second-ranked guard in the ACC by Pro Football Focus, and in 2023, he was ranked fourth in the conference.
Logan Jones, Iowa
Jones is a little bit on the smaller side at an expected 300-ish pounds, but he has the athleticism of a defensive tackle…because he was one. Prior to Tyler Linderbaum (2022 first-round pick) going to the NFL level, Jones was actually a defensive lineman for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Once Linderbaum went pro, though, he flipped sides and has been the team’s long-term starter at the position since.
He was a third-team All-Big Ten player in 2023 and a first-team player in 2024. I’m not sure how much the Packers will be interested in him, if they really do want to be bigger up front, but he’s a name to remember just in case. Certainly, his size is not as big an issue as Brailsford’s, but even Jacob Monk, who has been the smallest drafted Green Bay offensive lineman in recent years, was 308 pounds at the combine. Jones will need to prove that he’s over the three-bills number for the Packers to consider him.
Here’s some info I got from a Big Ten coach who played against Jones this year:
“He got after us quite a bit. Struggled to hold the scoops when he was combing our interior guys.
We aren’t world beaters inside but I think he’s definitely worth a look, classic Iowa OL.“
–
And that’s the class, if you’re looking at true centers who are almost certain to get drafted. I’d bet against the Packers looking at Lew (injury/situation the team is in), Brailsford (size) and Jones (size) as of now, meaning that Green Bay’s best bet is one of Slaughter (who is expected to go later than his projections), Laloulu (if he declares) or Gulbin in the third or fourth rounds.
Now, there is an X-factor: The converts.
Possible Center Converts in the 2026 NFL Draft
Brian Parker II, Duke
When I asked about players who could potentially move to center, scouts told me that Duke right tackle Brian Parker II is a prime candidate because of his expected short arms. Parker is currently the 78th-ranked player on the consensus draft board, so he could be in play for the Packers’ second-round pick if he declares. He’s only a redshirt junior, so there’s still some time for him to make some NIL money, if he doesn’t hear that he’s a top-100 lock in the NFL circles.
Remember, fewer underclassmen declare than ever with the combination of NIL and the transfer portal. In 2024, only 58 underclassmen declared, fewer than two rounds’ worth of non-seniors. In 2021, there were 130 early declarations. In this world, I wouldn’t just assume that juniors who are projected to be mid-round picks are absolutely going to come out, like they have in the past.
For what it’s worth, Kiper had Parker ranked as his ninth tackle on his board.
Trey Zuhn III, Texas A&M
The other player who was brought up to me as a potential center convert is Texas A&M tackle Trey Zuhn III, who actually played some center for A&M during training camp this year and is already attempting to cross-train at the position for the next level. For whatever reason, scouts seem to like him a lot more than media analysts, who only have him ranked 230th on the consensus board at the moment.
Like Parker, Zuhn is expected to measure in at the combine with short arms (under 32”), which will force him off the tackle position. Zuhn is more of a Packers lineman than Parker, though, as Zuhn is expected to be a legit 6’6”, 319 pounds, despite his arm length.
Kiper must be hearing the same stuff I’ve heard, too, because in his interior offensive line rankings (he did not split guard and center), he has Zuhn ranked only behind Lew, Jones and Slaughter among centers, ahead of Laloulu, Gulbin and Brailsford. Look for Zuhn to be a draft “riser” (the media catching up to what has already been realized in scouting circles).
–
Including the possible converts, I would say that the Packers’ draft day options, if I were to project it right now, would look like this at their draft slots:
- 2nd round: Connor Lew (if they’re okay with his ACL tear and recovery) or Brian Parker II (if they’re okay with his weight and the position conversion).
- 3rd round: Iapani Laloulu (if he declares) or Matt Gulbin.
- 4th round: Matt Gulbin, Logan Jones (if they’re okay with his weight) or Trey Zuhn III (if they’re okay with the position conversion).
A lot can change between now and April, but that’s how I see it right now, after asking around. I’ve seen little of these players so far, so please don’t ask my personal opinion of these prospects, because I cannot give you a sincere answer.
