Second-round pick Anthony Belton went on 14 pre-draft visits before being picked by Packers
Second-round pick Anthony Belton went on 14 pre-draft visits before being picked by Packers
Second-round pick Anthony Belton went on 14 pre-draft visits before being selected by the Green Bay Packers at No. 54 overall in the 2025 draft, according to Packers coach Matt LaFleur.
Belton visited the Packers during the pre-draft visit. Other reported visits include the Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles. If nothing else, the number of visits suggests the league was interested in getting to know Belton, who was widely viewed by analysts as a third- or fourth-round player and ended up being somewhat of a surprise as a late second-round pick to Green Bay. It's possible many NFL teams viewed Belton as a better prospect than outsiders.
LaFleur's answer came in response to running rookie minicamp and limiting the physical toll on first-year players following a grueling pre-draft process. Visits disrupt routine and can be physically and mentally draining for players who must fly around the country and meet with teams during a narrow pre-draft window. Belton was one of the busiest prospects of the 2025 cycle.
Why would so many teams want to host Belton for a visit? Generally, teams want to check a box during a visit, whether it's answering questions about on-field or off-field matters or finishing up a medical evaluation. In Green Bay, the Packers have gravitated towards drafting pre-draft visitors under Brian Gutekunst.
Belton was a three-year starter at North Carolina State who participated at the Senior Bowl and did most of the athletic testing at the NFL Scouting Combine. However, he is also a 24-year-old prospect who was a zero-star recruit out of high school and spent his first two collegiate seasons at Georgia Military College. Other potential question marks include a habit of penalties (eight flags during each of his final three seasons), an ejection for spitting on a player in-game and his weight, which fluctuated in-season at North Carolina State.
Belton weighed 336 pounds at the combine and said he wants to drop another 10 pounds before the 2025 season.
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