The 'Big Escalade' Anthony Belton Signs Rookie Deal with Packers

The Big Escalade is in the garage. Finally.

After a very long wait for most second-round picks around the league to ink their rookie deals, many dominoes in the form of contracts have begun to fall.

On Friday afternoon, the Green Bay Packers were for a moment the latest team to sign its second-round selection to a rookie contract.

Get our free mobile app

Anthony Belton was the team's second round selection this season, taking the NC State offensive lineman at #54 overall.

Here's a look at some reaction to the selection on draft night:

Belton was a surprising pick at the time, given the Packers apparent wealth along the offensive line. The team has its five starters, and plenty of depth at present, but you can never have too many offensive linemen.

Belton played at NC State where he was a three-year starter for the Wolfpack. At 6'6 and 335 pounds, its no secret why he earned the nickname 'Big Escalade.'

Here's the origin story of the nickname from SI.com:

It was Summer 2023, and North Carolina State’s returning starter at left tackle, Anthony Belton, was manhandling teammates during a team-run period.
Dantonio Burnette, the team’s director of strength and conditioning, was impressed.
“I started calling him the ‘Big Escalade’ and it stuck, and the majority of the guys called him that as a nickname, as well,” Burnette told Packers On SI on Saturday morning, one day after the Green Bay Packers selected Belton in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Sources: SI.com and Tanner Phifer YouTube