The Green Bay Packers added some competition to the interior offensive line in this draft, as well as undrafted free agency, signing Illinois guard Josh Gesky to the roster ahead of training camp.
Could he be a sneaky pick to make the initial 53-man roster? Here is a full breakdown of the UDFA offensive lineman:
The Basics
Gesky was born and raised in Manteno, Illinois, and comes from a football family, with his father Joel playing on the offensive line for Nebraska. A left tackle at Manteno High School, Gesky earned all-conference honors three times, and was a three-star recruit.
Despite offers from several Ivy League schools, he opted to stay close to home and play at a higher level of competition, committing to Illinois. He started three years in college, earning All-Big Ten honors in each season.
He played over 2,000 snaps at left guard, and just over 100 on the right side, all of which were in 2023. Gesky’s PFF pass protection grade improved each season he was a starter, from 57.2, to 65.7, to 73.4 in 2025. His run block grades were 64.6, 57.3 and peaked in 2025 at 71.3.
Gesky has an impressive athletic profile. He is a hair over 6-5, weighed 308 pounds at his pro day, although he apparently played around 330 pounds in 2025, and has solid length with 33” arms.
He posted an impressive 9.61 Relative Athletic Score (RAS) out of a possible 10 at the guard position. Gesky’s speed and explosion testing were both elite, as he ran a 5.03 40-yard dash with a 1.74 10-yard split, jumped 33” in the vert and 9-1 in the broad jump.
All of those results ranked in the 90th percentile or better among 1,908 guards who completed athletic testing since 1987.
The only blemish in his athletic profile is poor agility scores. His 4.95 short shuttle ranks in the 31st percentile, and his 8.06 3-cone ranks in the 40th percentile. His closest athletic comp is Steve Hutchinson, who was a five-time All-Pro and was named to the NFL’s 2000s All-Decade team.
Another interesting comp is Trey Zuhn III, a versatile O-lineman in this class who seemed like a Packers type, and was ultimately drafted in the 3rd round by the Raiders.
Gesky was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 6, but reportedly manages the condition well. He will turn 24 on New Year’s Eve.
The Stats
In his first season as a starter, Gesky allowed seven quarterback hurries, four QB hits and zero sacks in 315 pass blocking snaps. His snap count jumped to 441 in the pass game in 2024, although he did allow 15 pressures, two hits and two sacks that year.
He played his best football in 2025, only allowing seven pressures, four hits and one sack in 456 pass block snaps.
In true pass sets, which removes screens, quick throws and play action, he improved each year, allowing seven total pressures on 91 snaps in 2023, eight pressures on 143 snaps in 2024, and six on 120 snaps in his final season.
In 2025, he ranked 42nd of 156 draft eligible guards in PFFs pass block efficiency, which put him in the 73rd percentile and ranked him above second-round pick Chase Bisontis. He ranked 51st in efficiency in true pass sets, putting him in the 67th percentile.
Gesky played in more of a zone-heavy run scheme, and ranked 33rd in PFF grade on zone runs of 140 draft eligible guards, which was a 76th percentile ranking and again was better than Bisontis.
While he ran fewer gap scheme plays, he still ranked 13th in PFF grade on such runs and was behind only Olaivavega Ioane, Logan Taylor, Keylan Rutledge Anez Cooper, Emmanuel Pregnon and Evan Beerntsen among guards who were drafted. He had six career penalties, with only one of those coming in 2025.
The Tape
While Gesky does not look like a freaky athlete on tape, he visibly has more than enough athleticism and movement ability to get to his landmarks, up to the second level, or out on screens.
He has enough quickness off the snap to get across the shade to the other side of defenders and turn them out of run plays. Gesky was asked to pull block quite a bit, including in pass pro, and was adequate.
Reading that Gesky played closer to 330 pounds made sense, as he had a thick, sturdy build on tape, and used it to his advantage, showing good torque and power. He has a mauling style and is able to wrestle defenders with his upper body.
Gesky plays with a firm base and is rarely pinballed around or knocked out of control. He is seldom seen on the ground and possesses good core strength, allowing him to slow opponents’ momentum towards the backfield even if his whole body is not in front of them.
His combination of athleticism and power shows up on outside runs, where he can move laterally while keeping his body between the defender and the ball carrier, with little risk of letting his opponent slip away.
If defenders do knock him back initially in the run game, Gesky is able to recover and turn the tide the other way.
In the run game, Gesky’s ability to latch on with strong arms and hands, and maneuver defenders is a strong asset. He stays locked on to opponents well in both phases and mostly does not allow them to shed his blocks.
He does a nice job of keeping his hands inside, which limits the risk of holding penalties if defenders try to shed as the ball carrier runs by. His aiming points are consistently right as he engages to stay on the correct side of opponents to turn or wall them out of the play.
Gesky can generate movement in the run game, continuing to drive his feet on contact, and particularly displaces opponents effectively laterally, clearing them out of the play. He also works well on double team blocks.
When he gets to the second level, he consistently latches on or shoves lighter defenders out of the play.
In pass pro, he shows the ability to sustain blocks for a long time, reworking his hands to stay locked on or continuing to hand fight to keep defenders out of his chest. His firm base provides the anchor to dig his heels in against power, and moves his feet adequately in pass sets.
He has enough movement ability to redirect when engaged with an opponent or as a reaction to late twists or stunts, and does well to steer defenders towards his help.
Gesky’s play style is enjoyable to watch. He blocks to the whistle, always looking for work and wants to finish opponents. He strains and regularly ends run plays way downfield, still blocking.
He has the demeanor you want from an interior offensive lineman, and according to Brugler, is a “coach-pleaser, with a blue-collar mindset as a worker.”
On the negative side, Gesky’s biggest issue is pad level, often playing high, rather than staying low, which undercuts his ability to win the leverage battle. He ends up too upright, with his head pointed skywards, which leads to stalemates in the run game and him giving up ground in pass pro.
Gesky can get put on his heels by power at times, especially if they have a runway to work with. He has shown the ability to stop opponents getting into his chest, but needs to be more consistent, as it does happen and leads to him being pushed back into the quarterback’s lap.
Being more proactive in shooting his hands, and trying to extend and lock out when he is engaged, would go a long way to helping these issues. He waits for his opponent to make the first move too often.
It was more prevalent in 2024, but he can have his hands swiped away when trying to punch, or be beaten by arm over moves, as he plays slightly over his toes off the snap. This can lead to quick losses.
Against Ohio State in 2025 and Oregon in 2024, he struggled to move people as well as in other games I saw. Does he truly have the power to move NFL caliber defensive tackles? Or is it just the case that he cannot get away with substandard technique?
When pull blocking, he sometimes does not pack enough punch when getting to his target, meaning defenders can bounce off him and make plays on the ball.
Don’t think he moves his feet enough or with enough power in pass pro. Got butt turned to sideline and allowed pressure vs rip move, allowed him to work half a man.
In pass pro, he can overset and be vulnerable to inside moves, and he can over shoot his landmark when trying to get there quickly off the snap.
His lack of agility does show up at times, and although he has the speed to get where he needs to go as a puller, getting out of his stance and through his first couple of steps takes longer than you’d like. Sometimes he looks effective on the move, other times more labored.
While he does show he can pick up twists and stunts, there were also multiple occasions where he failed to spot a late blitz, or will help the wrong teammate when faced with a choice, leaving free rushers.
Overall, Gesky is a mauling guard who can get guys walled off in run game, and latch and sustain blocks in pass pro, using a firm base, solid hand technique and adequate feet. He has explosiveness but is tight-hipped, making his ability in space inconsistent.
There is enough talent here to suggest he should have been drafted, and he should be able to compete for a back-end roster spot on the O-line. He has some physical limitations, but most of his issues are coachable, and there is certainly a chance he can stick in the NFL and eventually start.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers UDFA profiles: Can guard Josh Gesky sneak onto 53-man roster?
Reporting by Mark Oldacres, Packers Wire / Packers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
