Acme Packing Company
Obviously, things aren’t exactly going great with Elgton Jenkins and Sean Rhyan in Green Bay this year. At the moment, they are the Packers’ number one and number two center options for the 2025 season, but there’s no promise that either will be on the team in 2026.
Rhyan is in a contract year, while Jenkins’ deal carries a $24.8 million cap hit in 2026. If the Packers choose to move on from Jenkins next offseason, it’s one way that the team — currently set to be over the salary cap in 2026 — can net $20 million in immediate cap relief.
So with that in mind, I wanted to take this off-day coming off the bye week to look at what centers could be headed Green Bay’s way via college football. As I went through the consensus draft board, I found that only five centers were ranked among the top 200 prospects in the upcoming class.
It doesn’t appear to be a strong class, at least as of now, but let’s take you through these five players, in order of their consensus board ranking, and give you a preview of what is to come at the position in the 2026 draft.
Lew is a true junior who is expected to come in at just over 6’3” and 300 pounds. The former high school All-American originally committed to Miami before switching his commitment to Auburn in December of his senior year.
As a true freshman, Lew jumped into the lineup as an injury replacement in Week 8. For his effort in six starts that year, he was named an All-SEC freshman. Over the last two years, he’s been a full-time starter for the Tigers.
Recently, he’s been dealing with an MCL sprain that has limited his efficiency, but he did play well when fully healthy against the Baylor Bears in the season opener. Worth noting, the Packers sent a scout to watch Auburn and Texas A&M face off earlier this season.
Slaughter is a redshirt senior who is expected to come in between 6’4” and 6’5” and a little shy of 300 pounds. There’s some debate in the scouting community about whether he’s a Pro Football Focus darling or a true NFL prospect. He will probably be a highly debated player once draft season comes full swing.
The center grew up about 30 miles south of Gainesville, raised by a father who played football at Tennessee-Martin. He originally committed to Florida State before switching to his hometown Florida Gators in December of his senior season.
His first taste of consistent playing time came as a redshirt sophomore in 2023, when he was a part-time starter. Beginning in 2024, though, he was not only a full-time starter but also a team captain. Last year, he was named first-team All-SEC and also first-team All-American.
He’s already completed his bachelor’s degree and has been a member of several honor roll lists during his...
