Auburn guard Dillon Wade is one of a few Green Bay Packers undrafted free agent signings who had borderline draftable grades from some draft experts, and he enters a competitive offensive line room where he will hope to impress in training camp.
Here is the lowdown on Wade and what he will bring to Green Bay:
The Basics
Wade grew up in Houston, where he attended Cypress Hall High School, playing left tackle and also as a defensive lineman.
A three-star recruit, Wade committed to Tulsa, where he spent his first two college seasons, playing only 39 snaps in his first season, before becoming the starting left tackle in 2022.
He transferred in 2023 after head coach Philip Montgomery was fired, choosing Auburn over other offers like Missouri, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, USC so he could reunite with Montgomery, who was hired as offensive coordinator.
Wade started at left tackle for Auburn in 2023, before moving around the following season between starting at left tackle, left guard and right tackle. In his final season, he was exclusively a left guard.
For his career, Wade has 2,011 left tackle snaps, 997 left guard snaps and 153 right tackle snaps.
Standing 6-3 ⅜ and weighing 316 pounds, he is built like a guard, and his sub 32” arms will necessitate that he plays inside at the next level.
He posted a 9.22 Relative Athletic Score (RAS) out of a possible 10 at the guard position, although his athletic profile is incomplete, as he opted out of the agility testing.
The highlight of his testing is an elite speed score, with 94th percentile 40-yard dash and 10-yard split times of 5.02 and 1.73 respectively. Wade also had good explosion testing, with a 28.5” vert and 8’8” broad, which rank in the 73rd and 69th percentile.
He had a 59.6 PFF grade in 2025, down from a career best mark of 67.1 in 2024. Wade just turned 24 years old.
The Stats
In four years as a starter, Wade was up and down, particularly in pass pro.
He allowed 28 pressures (including 5 sacks) in 2022 for Tulsa, improved to 15 pressures (2 sacks) in 2023 for Auburn, then had a tougher season, back up to 20 pressures (3 sacks) in 2024, before finishing strong with his best year in pass pro, allowing just 15 pressures (1 sack).
For the 2025 season, Wade ranked 79th of 156 draft eligible guards in PFFs pass block efficiency metric, but when in true pass sets he was all the way up in 31st.
In the run game, he ranked 97th of 140 draft eligible guards in PFF’s zone block grade at 59.9, and 96th in gap block grade at 54.4. He committed 26 penalties in 5 seasons, including 10 in 2023, but did manage to cut it down to just four in each of the last two years.
The Tape
Wade’s athleticism serves him well, as he bursts out his stance off the snap, getting quickly into position in pass pro, or to his landmark in the run game.
His foot speed is useful on short or long pull blocks, as he is able to get all the way across the formation to the outside and seal, or get up to second level, latch on to targets and clear run lanes.
In pass pro, he generally does a good job of surviving, keeping his body in the way by hook or by crook, even if it does not look especially convincing at times. Wade is very light on his feet, moving them quickly and able to redirect effectively.
In the run game, Wade can manipulate defenders to turn them out of plays using his upper body, or use quickness to get to a spot and wall them out of the play before they can anticipate it. He is capable of trapping or displacing defenders laterally.
Wade continues to scan and look for work late in the play, and will hit defenders already engaged with his teammate to knock them to the ground.
He played in a balanced scheme between gap and zone runs, and was durable in college, making 49 starts.
In terms of negatives, it starts with his physical deficiencies. Wade’s short arms do show up, as opponents get into his chest and control him, able to pull him down or jog him back into the quarterback using power.
He lacks bulk and power, especially in his lower half. He is not a mauler by any stretch of the imagination, lacking the ability to generate push in the run game, more covering guys up than driving them off the ball. That likely limits his usefulness in a gap scheme.
In pass pro he often oversets and then is in recovery mode. His hands get wide, which is even more of a problem given his short arms. He can have his hands quickly swiped away, allowing opponents to cross his face.
Wade struggles to stay latched onto defenders when he has to be proactive in pass pro, or generally in the run game, as opponents slip off him, even at the second level when blocking smaller players.
When pulling, he ends up not hitting anyone at times, and lacks pop when he does connect. His technique could also use work, as he crosses his feet over on pulls, increasing the risk of tripping himself up. His ability to pick up late blitzes or handle twists/stunts is inconsistent.
Overall, Wade’s impressive athleticism and movement skills are enticing, and his ability to survive in pass pro gives him a chance, but his lack of length and power, particularly in the run game, means he faces an uphill battle at the NFL level.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers UDFA profiles: Dillon Wade brings athletic upside to O-line
Reporting by Mark Oldacres, Packers Wire / Packers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
