Elgton Jenkins, Green Bay Packers

Immediately following the draft, many likely would have thought Darnell Savage would have been this choice a year later. And while Savage enjoyed a solid rookie campaign behind Jaire Alexander and a young Packers defensive backfield, Jenkins became the slightly surprising standout among Green Bay’s rookie class.

The Packers selected the former Mississippi State guard with the 44th overall pick in the NFL Draft, and despite not breaching the starting lineup until Week 3, he quickly found himself on the shortlist of rookie impact players.

Jenkins started every game from that point onward, not missing a snap and immediately becoming a linchpin along the offensive line. His 69.2 grade by Pro Football Focus ranked in the top 10 among all left guards, not allowing a sack the entire season across 571 plays in pass protection.

This all came after he made 26 of his 34 career starts in college at center, only starting two games at guard, the position the Packers would eventually ask him to play.

After finishing eighth in pass block win rate at 95%, the 24-year-old is expected to be one of the key pieces of their offensive unit moving forward; while Rodgers continues to move into the twilight of his prime as his athleticism wanes, players like Jenkins will be expected to shoulder the load as they transition into a new era of Packers football.