South Dakota State offensive tackle Garret Greenfield has arrived in Frisco, Texas, for the 2024 East-West Shrine Bowl. It’s certainly not his first visit to this city. Greenfield was here with his teammates just weeks ago when they won the FCS national championship game, just as they had one year ago, defeating rival North Dakota State.
After that first national championship, Greenfield could have declared for the draft. But he and his teammates knew that they could do it all over again, and that was something he wanted to be a part of. As Greenfield explained to me, “We made history winning the first title in school history, but I wanted to do it again. I wanted to double down. The people that were there were just so incredibly special to me, from the coaches, the equipment staff, the strength staff, the GAs, the training staff, the players.” For Greenfield, it was an easy decision to return, which ended in him and his teammates hoisting another trophy. He describes his time with his team as a special time in his life and one that he will cherish forever.
That extra season also gave him a chance to improve his draft stock. After two seasons at right tackle, Greenfield moved to left tackle for the 2022 season. As expected, it took time to make the transition. After working on his technique for the first two years, playing right tackle felt like second nature.
Playing right tackle in 2021, he sprang running back Pierre Strong Jr. free for a touchdown:
In that same game, he cleared a lane for Strong:
Greenfield was also a capable pass blocker on the right side, as QB Chris Oladokun (a Steelers draft pick who was in Pittsburgh long enough for a cup of coffee but never got a snap in training camp) gets a pass off to his tight end:
Moving to his quarterback’s blind side, Greenfield said the flip “felt awkward at first” and he was not at his best in those early games because he wasn’t comfortable yet. By the end of the season and heading into the semifinal game, he got better and felt like everything was clicking.
In the 2023 national championship game, he creates running space for Isaiah Davis:
His pass blocking on the left is enough to get the job done as the Jackrabbits find the endzone:
With another season at left tackle in the books, he now feels confident that he can play on either side. He expects to spend time at both right and left tackle during practice this week and would be willing to play any position on the line that gives him an opportunity to contribute at the next level. When it comes to playing in the NFL, it’s very simple for Greenfield, who said, “At the end of the day, it’s just about finding a way that I can best serve a team who gives me the opportunity to.” He mentioned that although he has never played guard, he would be open to learning a new position.
If versatility is his obvious strength, durability is certainly another. Greenfield suffered an ACL tear in his senior year of high school. Since recovering, he has been healthy, playing in 55 consecutive games.
When asked about areas where he wants to improve, Greenfield said he wants to be more of a punishing run blocker and to finish run blocks a little more violently, something that he tried to work on this last year at SDSU.
Greenfield had already talked to several Steelers staff when he and I spoke and he was enthusiastic about the meeting. Our own Joe Clark has pegged him as a player to watch this week at the East-West Shrine Bowl. And if the Steelers moved former first-round draft pick Broderick Jones to his natural position of left tackle, Garret Greenfield might be the man to fill out the offensive line.
