Jake Hanson

By Ray Hamill — Jake Hanson continues to turn heads this preseason for the Green Bay Packers and appears set to make the 53-man roster, which must be finalized next week.

The former Eureka Logger has been the team’s starting right guard in the preseason and is listed as the team’s back-up center.

More importantly, he has impressed offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich, who believes Hanson has the ability to play all three interior line positions at a high level and has been one of the team’s most improved players this summer.

“Jake has had one of the best camps of anyone on our offense, just from taking that next step,” Stenavich told PackersWire. “I think his first year, his hip was banged up and he just didn’t look right. He got his hip fixed and then has come back and he looks like a brand-new guy. So, he’s playing with physicality, he’s intelligent, he has the ability to center. I’m excited about him.”

Hanson, who started the team’s first preseason game against San Francisco, was drafted by the Packers out of Oregon in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

The 6-foot-4, 296-pound lineman did not make the roster in his first NFL season and was placed on injured reserve while battling a hip injury, for which he had surgery.

After making the team’s 53-man roster last fall, he appeared in five games and had just six garbage time snaps on offense and 13 on special teams.

But he appears ready to make a substantial leap this year and could very well start on opening weekend when the Packers travel to Minnesota for a key division game.

Green Bay closes out the preseason schedule against Kansas City on Thursday night.

The game will be replayed on the NFL Network at midnight.