Has Corey Linsley Shown Enough to Keep Packers' Center Job?

To start the 2014 league year, very few would have projected the Green Bay Packers' rookie center Corey Linsley as a starter in the NFL. A late-riser in the draft process, the two-year starter from Ohio State was selected midway through Day 3 of the NFL draft at pick No. 161.

According to CBS Sports and NFLDraftScout.com's Dane Brugler in his published draft guide, he was the sixth-best center prospect in the 2014 draft class. He was projected as a fifth-round selection.

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SUMMARY: A four-star high school recruit, Linsley redshirted in 2009 and saw minimal action as a versatile back-up as a freshman and sophomore, seeing practice reps at both guard and tackle. With All-American Michael Brewster graduating, Linsley won the starting center job as a junior in 2012 and started all 26 games the past two seasons for the Buckeyes, earning First Team All-Big Ten honors in 2013 and high praise from the coaching staff for his improvements. Linsley is tough, aware and smart with a strong understanding of his responsibilities and what the defense wants to do. He lacks natural explosion and needs to improve his set-up quickness, but has the core strength, attitude and foot quickness to stick around at the next level – flashes everything needed to be a reliable NFL center, just needs to do it more consistently.

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Many assumed that Linsley would simply be a backup center behind 2013 fourth-round pick J.C. Tretter, who spent his rookie season on injured reserve. The former quarterback, tight end and left tackle broke his ankle only a month after the draft in a fumble recovery drill during an organized team activity.

According to ESPN Wisconsin's Jason Wilde, he was only expected to miss six months. Unfortunately for the Cornell graduate, he didn't even take a snap in Green Bay's final game of the season, a January playoff matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, about eight months after his injury. 

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JC Tretter's agent, Alan Herman, says Tretter broke his ankle yesterday during fumble recovery drill. Herman expects him to miss six months.

— Jason Wilde (@jasonjwilde) May 21, 2013"

Returning to health in 2014, he was expected to be plug-and-played at the center of the offensive line, as the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Tom Silverstein wrote:

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So when the Packers let center Evan Dietrich-Smith go to Tampa Bay for a deal they could have easily afforded (four years, $14.25 million), it spoke volumes about their confidence in 2013 fourth-round pick JC Tretter. They want him to be their starting center in 2014.

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The issue was that Tretter couldn't keep his streak of health for very long. In August, he sustained a knee injury that eventually landed him on the injured reserve list in early September. According to ESPN Wisconsin's Jason Wilde, the team originally believed his return would merely take six weeks. 

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#NFL source says @JCTretter did not suffer ligament damage in the knee, which would have made it 6-10 week injury. Instead, 5-6 weeks.

— Jason Wilde (@jasonjwilde) August 24, 2014"

Instead, it's now November and Tretter, two years into the league, has still yet to play a down in a regular-season game. At some point, one must question if Linsley is ready to perform as the full-time long-term starter, not just in reserve role.

Athletically, Linsley's not the most imposing guy in the world. While he does have an impressive bench press, good for the top 10 percent of center prospects at the combine historically, according to MockDraftable.com, his frame doesn't bode extremely well for his career projection. His height, weight, hands and arms all rank in the bottom half of center prospects.

Entering the year, some had questions, including myself, whether he could hold up in the season opener against the Seattle Seahawks.

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Linsley, at this point in the season, looks like a rookie. There's nothing wrong with that. It's not his fault that he's a fifth-round pick who is going to be baptized by fire to start his career. What can be gathered through his preseason footage is how the Packers can smooth him into the role.

He's not strong enough in his lower body to make up for his light weight when facing NFL-quality rushers in a one-on-one situation. While that's more dependent on how the defense is lined up, Green Bay has two quality guards who can play to help Linsley from time to time.

The Packers must also avoid straight blocks against poor matchups in the running game. Linsley has talent that plays better toward the angled blocking of a zone-rushing attack.

If the Packers can do that, Linsley could have a shot at sticking through this early season stretch without a major issue.

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On the field, Linsley has essentially stuck to that evaluation of his preseason play. He's had an up-and-down rookie season, not surprising for a rookie lineman. On several occasions, quarterback Aaron Rodgers has confronted the player on a discrepancy. 

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I know it's frustrating. I know. But Rodgers' blowups at Linsley this season haven't been a good look.

— Michelle Bruton (@Michelle_NFL) October 27, 2014"

His performance from a talent perspective has been inconsistent too. As Ben Fennell of ESPN points out, the game against the Miami Dolphins was particularly hard on the rookie. 

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Linsley just couldnt get a feel in the run game.. Struggled with combo blocks. @jelanijenkins3 was free all day pic.twitter.com/sJanng9N8Z

— Ben Fennell (@TheXOsOfLife) October 14, 2014"

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Linsley again, not sure on blocking assignments.. outside zone. Who's blocking the WLB? Jenkins free @Linsley71 pic.twitter.com/zYLk7tHABR

— Ben Fennell (@TheXOsOfLife) October 14, 2014"

More often than not, though, Linsley's performance is looking like a positive for the Packers. In Dan Hope's weekly rookie coverage on Bleacher Report, he most recently listed Linsley as the ninth rookie overall in 2014. That mark was good for the third offensive lineman on the list, behind only the Cowboys' Zack Martin and the Browns' Joel Bitonio.

The eight players ahead of him in the article were all selected in the top 35 of the draft, a stark contrast to Linsley's 161st landing spot. In fact, the first non-special teams player who was drafted behind him on the list is E.J. Gaines, the cornerback for the Rams, who is listed as the 20th-best rookie in the league. 

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Awesome day for Corey Linsley (@Linsley71).. Watch the hat placement off the ball and then the softness he gives Lacy pic.twitter.com/thgTlpzGl8

— Ben Fennell (@TheXOsOfLife) October 7, 2014"

Tretter, who still has yet to play in an NFL game, is essentially a rookie. With his lack of experience, one must wonder if he could dethrone a player who at least one analyst believes is a top-10 rookie. Based on the Packers' moves on Monday, Green Bay is thinking along the same lines.

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#Packers have activated C JC Tretter to the 53-man roster and released former first-round pick, Derek Sherrod.

— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) November 3, 2014"

With the Packers moving on from former first-round pick Derek Sherrod to make room for Tretter, it may be hinting that they'll be looking at the second-year player as a tackle, not an interior lineman, from this point on.

While Linsley has come from a surprising position to even start, he's done a well enough job in 2014 to warrant keeping the gig for the season. Praised, though inconsistent, it is better than the unknown that Tretter currently is.

With sixth man Don Barclay on injured reserve for an ACL injury, Tretter's role may be a swing lineman position, which is still valuable depth for the squad. In the end, that may be the best spot for him. The undersized Linsley can't move around to different positions on the offensive line due to his length, as previously discussed. Tretter, though, would give a much-needed boost off the bench, if another injury should occur on the offensive line.

Both right tackle Bryan Bulaga and right guard T.J. Lang missed snaps in 2014 due to injuries, while left tackle David Bakhtiari was once limited in practice due to his back, per Packers.com. If one of those pieces should come down, Tretter would be the best option to replace them in the starting lineup, not Linsley.

One thing is certain, though: Linsley should have already proved enough in the minds of the coaching staff to have locked down the starting job for the remainder of the Packers' 2014 campaign.