Packers: Scouting Report On Sixth Round Draft Pick Simon Stepaniak

SIMON STEPANIAK, OT, INDIANA

THE SKINNY

Stepaniak was a four-year starter at right guard for Indiana. But he tore an ACL in a December Gator Bowl practice and his return date is up in the air.

As a redshirt freshman in 2016, Stepaniak started 12 games. He missed six games in 2017, but started all 12 as a junior in 2018.

Stepaniak earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors as a senior when he started 11 games before suffering his knee injury.

MEASURABLES

Height: 6-4

Weight: 313

Bench press: 37

40-yard dash: —

Vertical jump: —

Broad jump: —

Arms: 32”

Hands: 10 3/8”

SCOUTING REPORT

Stepaniak can play either guard position in a gap scheme. His upper body strength is tremendous, as evidenced by his bench press numbers at the NFL Combine. He has good bend and plays through the whistle.

He’s a below average athlete, though, who gets knocked off balance too easily. He struggles to recover in pass pro and he can be overwhelmed by power rushers.

Coming off a knee injury will only make it tougher for Stepaniak to correct these flaws.

PACKERS’ PREDICAMENT

Green Bay, which had one of the top offensive lines in football in 2019, needed help.

The Packers let elite right tackle Bryan Bulaga leave in free agency, and signed former Lion Rick Wagner to replace him. That’s risky business, considering Pro Football Focus ranked Wagner just 62^nd overall among offensive tackles last season and Detroit released him on March 13.

In addition, left tackle David Bakhtiari and center Corey Linsley will become free agents in March, 2021, and the Packers will be hard-pressed to pay both.

The Packers took Michigan’s Jon Runyan, Oregon’s Jake Hanson and Stepaniak in the sixth round, giving them far greater depth and flexibility than they had at the start of the weekend.

THEY SAID IT

Stepaniak on what’s his best position: “Just playing guard, that’s just where I’ve been plugged at IU throughout my career. I was playing center for a bit of my time, my sophomore year and leading up to the season but I switched to guard right before the first game. But yeah, continuing to play guard in the league, I’ll be able to play any of the three interior spots. But I’m focused on just getting as good as I can and learning the new playbook and just giving everything I can for the guys on the team and doing my part helping the team out.”

Stepaniak on his knee: “Yeah, so, my knee’s progressing phenomenally. I’m rehabbing, working out throughout the whole weeks, been getting really good work here, it’s going really well. The timeline as of now is to be ready for camp. That’s definitely promising. Like I said, it’s healing great, the rehab, I’ve just been attacking it, there’s no let up on it. And it’s been going really well.”