Kentucky senior center Jager Burton was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round (153rd overall pick) of the 2026 National Football League Draft, according to an April 25 announcement from Pittsburgh.
Burton’s selection highlights his consistent performance and reliability during his college football career. He played in 51 games for Kentucky and started in 47 consecutive games that he participated in. His versatility allowed him to start at offensive guard as a redshirt freshman and sophomore before moving to center for his final two seasons.
As a senior, Burton was considered for the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, which is awarded to the top offensive lineman in the Southeastern Conference. During that season, he played 830 snaps, led Kentucky with 158 blocks at the point of attack, graded at 85 percent for the year, and recorded 23 knockdown blocks. He had only two penalties and allowed just one-and-a-half quarterback sacks while serving as game captain four times. After completing his season, he received invitations to both the East-West Shrine Bowl and NFL Combine.
Burton began playing for Kentucky in 2021 and preserved his redshirt status by appearing in four games that year. As a redshirt freshman in 2022, he started all thirteen games at left guard and earned a spot on the Coaches Freshman All-SEC team. Over subsequent seasons, he continued starting across multiple positions on Kentucky’s offensive line despite missing some time due to injury during his junior year.
In addition to his athletic achievements, Burton completed a bachelor’s degree with a major in Communication in December of 2024 and was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll each year over four years.
This marks eight consecutive drafts where Kentucky has had at least two players selected (2019-26), with a Wildcat chosen no later than the fourth round each time. Seven offensive linemen from Kentucky have been drafted over this period: George Asafo-Adjei (2019), Logan Stenberg (2020), Landon Young (2021), Luke Fortner (2021), Darian Kinnard (2022), Jalen Farmer (2026), and now Jager Burton (2026). With this selection, Burton becomes the ninth Wildcat drafted by Green Bay—joining teammates Darian Kinnard and Carrington Valentine.
