GREEN BAY — Rasheed Walker is not naïve.

He knows full well that the Green Bay Packers, a draft-and-develop operation if there ever was one, could very well use their first-round pick — No. 25 overall, or perhaps higher if general manager Brian Gutekunst decides to trade up on the April 25 opening night — on an offensive tackle.

And if they do, Walker could go from one of the feel-good stories of last season, when he took over for injured five-time All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari and wound up playing 974 offensive snaps while starting 17 of the Packers’ 19 games (including playoffs), to being relegated to the backup status he had as a rookie seventh-round pick in 2022, when he didn’t play a single offensive snap.

“It’s all out of my control. I can just do what I do,” Walker said earlier this week, before departing on the organization’s annual Tailgate Tour bus trip across the state with several other current and former players. “If they draft another tackle, it’s out of my control. It’s got nothing to do with me.”

In truth, Walker made a strong case during the second half of last season that the Packers can fill other needs with their first-, second- and third-round picks and augment the line — a unit that lost Bakhtiari (released), right guard Jon Runyan (signed with the New York Giants) and Yosh Nijman (signed with the Carolina Panthers) — with Day 3 selections.

But if the Packers are unsure about Walker’s long-term viability as the starting left tackle, they will likely pick a tackle high — if not in the first round, then with one of their two second-round (Nos. 41 or 58) or third-round (Nos. 88 or 91) picks.

Asked about Walker earlier in the offseason, coach Matt LaFleur didn’t flat-out commit to him as the starting left tackle but did simultaneously praise and challenge him, saying, “I thought he had a really good year. I think there’s a lot of room for improvement from a consistency standpoint — playing 70 plays (in a game) at a high level. We’ve seen some great flashes from him. He’s certainly athletic enough to do it. So, it’s going to be a big offseason for him. But he’s a guy that we’re certainly confident in.”

It took Walker time to earn the coaches’ confidence, however. After Bakhtiari’s balky left knee acted up following the team’s season-opening win in Chicago, leading to a season-ending fifth surgery on the knee, Walker got the initial nod to start in his place.

But the coaches eventually stopped rotating Walker and Nijman late in the year, and former Packers tackle Bryan Bulaga saw Walker’s improvement jump off the film in those late-season games.

“Especially at the end of the season when he finally won that job over (Nijman), I thought he did a nice job,” said Bulaga, who has spent the week with Walker on the Tailgate Tour.

“I think once (the coaches) decided to go with Rasheed towards the end of the year and it was his gig, I thought he played really well.

“I’m hoping this has been a good offseason for him and he’s prepared and ready to go and has improved on things he saw on tape and made those a focal point for his offseason.”

Walker said his offseason has been “really good” and said he has tailored his workouts to be more game-like, as he now has more experience than he had after his rookie season, when his playing time had consisted of just four special-teams snaps. The Packers’ voluntary offseason program kicks off Monday in Green Bay.

“Every time I go into training, I just try to act like I’m playing a game. I’m always playing the game,” Walker explained. “Everything I do, I try to implement football into it, like my mechanics. I just try to push myself.”

“(I’m) really excited about getting back with the team, so I can build on last season based off what I’ve learned and my game experience. I’m just ready to build.”

And no matter what happens in the draft, Walker said, he’ll be ready.

“I always felt like — I already know I’m ready. I’m ready to play,” he said. “That’s one thing about me. I’m always going to compete — regardless of the odds against me or my side. That’s why I’m really not worried. Just come compete.”