Packers Land An ‘Escalade’ With Tackle Anthony Belton

Brian Gutekunst has built solid offensive lines throughout his eight years as the Green Bay Packers’ general manager.

And Gutekunst made another investment Friday that could keep the Packers’ line among the NFL’s best.

Green Bay selected mammoth offensive tackle Anthony Belton of North Carolina State in the second round of the NFL Draft (No. 54 overall). Belton stands 6-foot-6, weighs 336 pounds, has arms that are 33 7/8” and hands that are 10 ¼”.

“It’s the old phrase, ‘big doesn’t get small,’ especially when you play here in the NFC North,” said Jon-Eric Sullivan, Green Bay’s vice president of player personnel. “We play in the cold and you can wear people down as the season goes along and the elements change.

“It’s kind of the way we were raised in this thing up here. We want to be big across the front, we want to physical, we want to be able to overwhelm with size and physicality. That’s what attracted us to him. He’s a good football player, and he happens to be a huge man as well.”

Belton was a four-year starter at left tackle with the Wolfpack, but many scouts see him as a guard because he can engulf defenders.

“I feel when it comes to just my size, I kind of like to use that into my physicality,” Belton said. “That is something I take pride in. I take pride in my physicality. I love finishing blocks, love getting pancakes. I try to use my size to my advantage, especially when it comes to my physicality.”

Belton’s nicknamed is “Escalade” due to his tremendous size. But his toughness and urgency have been questioned.

The Packers used one of their 30 NFL Draft prospect visits on Belton.

“I think he’s very versatile,” Sullivan said. “I think he can play left tackle, I think he can play both guard spots, I think he can play right tackle so that’s one of the things that attracted us to him is it’s a big man, versatility across the line of scrimmage, where we play, thinking it will be a very good fit in the room with the guys that we have now.”

The Packers passed on players such as Georgia guard Tate Ratledge — who went three picks later to divisional rival Detroit — cornerback Trey Amos and edge rusher Mike Green and wideout Jayden Higgins. All of those players would have filled needs, but the Packers instead took Belton.

Green Bay offensive linemen Zach Tom, Sean Rhyan and Rasheed Walker are all entering contract years. So even if Belton can’t win a starting job in 2025, he’ll improve the Packers’ depth and could step into the lineup in 2026.

“It will be a nice addition, not only the player and the skill set, but then the person,” Sullivan said. “He’s wired right, being a good football player is very important to him, and I think he’s going to jump in that room with the guys that we’ve got and it’s going to be fun to watch those guys compete and see what shakes out.”