Packers OL Zach Tom handling adversity better than most rookies
The Green Bay Packers may have found another gem in first-year offensive lineman Zach Tom. This season it hasn’t been uncommon for Tom to fill in at multiple positions along the offensive line at a moment’s notice. But in those moments, he hasn’t looked like a first-year player.
“Certainly not like a rookie,” coach Matt LaFleur said of how Tom has handled being put into difficult situations in his first season. “He’s stepped in there, and you talk about not flinching in any moment, he’s done that. I feel like, for the most part, he’s played at a pretty high level. I’m excited about Zach and the flexibility of another guy that can come in and play multiple positions. You can’t have enough guys like that.”
The Packers have a history of drafting offensive linemen with athletic traits and positional versatility. Tom is the latest example, with a 9.59 RAS score and 37 starts at both left tackle and center during his career at Wake Forest.
When Tom arrived in Green Bay, he was basically positionless. However, when injuries struck the offensive line, it became clear that he could play just about anywhere. In five games this season, Tom has taken snaps at right guard, left guard, and left tackle.
Right off the bat, Green Bay saw a glimpse of his versatility when left guard Jon Runyan suffered a concussion in the regular season opener against the Minnesota Vikings. Tom stepped in and played 30 snaps on offense, showing the Packers he could be relied on in a pinch.
As the season has progressed, the situations haven’t gotten easier. Tom made his first-career start on only two days’ notice, and it required protecting Aaron Rodgers’ blindside. Before a Week 7 meeting with the Washington Commanders, left tackle David Bakhtiari was ruled out after experiencing discomfort in his surgically repaired knee. Again, the team turned to Tom, who answered the call by not allowing a single sack or pressure on 41 snaps in pass protection.
Most rookies would waver under similar circumstances. Meanwhile, Tom has thrived as the team’s sixth offensive lineman in less-than-ideal conditions. According to Pro Football Focus, he is tied for first as the highest-rated rookie in pass protection with only one sack and five pressures allowed in 168 pass-blocking snaps.
Now Green Bay will have to lean on Tom after an unexpected appendectomy has sidelined Bakhtiari indefinitely. Luckily, the fourth-rounder has passed every test to date.
