Michigan OL Trente Jones signing with Green Bay Packers
Michigan Wolverines offensive tackle Trente Jones has his new destination after going unselected in the 2024 NFL Draft, reportedly signing with the Green Bay Packers per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Jones left Michigan as a two-time Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line member, three-time Big Ten Champion and a national champion for the 2023 season. He has appeared in 37 career games on the offensive line with 12 starts at right tackle and as an extra offensive lineman in jumbo sets.
Jones competed with classmate Karsen Barnhart for a starting tackle job in the lead-up to the 2022 and 2023 seasons. In 2022, he appeared in 11 games with six starts at right tackle before spraining his ankle halfway through the season. This year, he primarily played as the extra offensive lineman before Zak Zinter broke his ankle in the Ohio State game, which kicked Barnhart inside to guard and Jones to right tackle. The combination helped Michigan push through the College Football Playoff with some of its best, cohesive offensive line play all year.
Jones appeared in all 14 games during the 2021 season with two starts as the sixth offensive lineman, also contributing on special teams. He made one appearance in 2020 and did not see game action during his freshman season in 2019.
Jones was a four-star recruit and the No. 110 player in the 2019 class, the 14th-ranked offensive tackle and 13th-best player in Georgia, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.
“Trente Jones grew up in Tennessee before moving to Georgia, where he played both ways at Grayson High,” The Athletic’s Dane Brugler wrote in “The Beast,” his pre-draft scouting guide. “He started at right tackle and led the team to a 20-5 record over his final two seasons. A four-star recruit, he was the highest-ranked offensive lineman in Jim Harbaugh’s 2019 class. With just 839 career offensive snaps (Trevor Keegan had 836 in 2023 alone), Jones spent most of his career as a sixth offensive lineman — but played well when needed, including starting at right tackle in the final three games (post-Zak Zinter injury) of Michigan’s 2023 title run.
“He moves with functional quickness and lower-body flexibility, although his anchor is inconsistent. He must learn to play with tighter hands and better poise and blocking angles. Overall, Jones is very average across the board, and NFL talent will feast on his inexperience, but he is a strong practice-squad candidate for a team that sees his development potential.”
