A pair of Ohio State stars who figure to be first-round draft picks, receiver Emeka Egbuka and offensive tackle Josh Simmons, were in Green Bay on Monday for predraft visits with the Packers.
Receivers are always going to get the most fanfare, and that’s especially true in Green Bay, where a receiver has not been picked in the first round since Javon Walker in 2002. He was joined by Simmons, the left tackle who suffered a season-ending knee injury in October.
The news, reported by ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, comes despite confirmation from Matt LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst that last year’s first round pick, Jordan Morgan, will compete with Rasheed Walker to be the team’s starting left tackle.
Based on Green Bay’s pending free agents following the 2025 season, it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out there will be some turnover on the offensive line.
Walker, right tackle Zach Tom and right guard Sean Rhyan will be playing on expiring contracts in 2025, and center Elgton Jenkins will carry a hefty cap number into 2026 that might require a third contract, which is something the Packers typically shy away from.
If the Packers think Morgan’s long-term position is at guard, adding another offensive tackle makes sense.
Simmons was the blindside protector for Ohio State’s prolific offense in 2024.
He transferred from San Diego State to Ohio State after the 2022 season to help increase his draft stock and chase a national championship. Midway through the 2024 season, he looked on track to achieving both goals.
The Buckeyes were undefeated when Simmons went down for the rest of the season with a torn patellar tendon. The injury sidelined him for the rest of the season and prevented him from going through predraft testing, though he did work on the side during the Buckeyes’ pro day a couple weeks ago.
“I'll probably be cut loose mid-April to give everybody a good pro day,” Simmons said at the Scouting Combine.
From a talent perspective, some evaluators think Simmons could have been a top-10 prospect if healthy. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com ranked Simmons 37th in his most recent top 50.
Jeremiah wrote in part: “Simmons is a gifted left tackle prospect. … He has excellent size, movement skills and balance. In the passing game, he has a smooth/fluid set. … In the run game, he plays under control, stays on his feet and maintains leverage/position. … What he put on tape this fall should generate plenty of optimism about his chances of becoming a quality starting left tackle in the NFL.”
During a pre-Scouting Combine conference call, Jeremiah said a healthy Simmons “could start right away” for his new team.
A quality starting left tackle is something most NFL teams would not pass up. Simmons certainly has the size to play on the outside at 6-foot-4 7/8 and 313 pounds. All he could do at the Scouting Combine was the bench press, in which he put up a robust 34 reps at 225 pounds. His arms measured 33 inches.
Simmons was having the best season of his collegiate career before the injury. According to Pro Football Focus, Simmons allowed no sacks, no hits and just one hurry in 158 pass-protecting snaps in his six games. He allowed only one sack and 15 pressures during his career for the Buckeyes.
He was penalized once in 2024; he was flagged a staggering 17 times as San Diego State’s right tackle in 2022.
For the Packers, Walker started 32 consecutive games the last two seasons, but how high are they on him as a long-term player? Not so high that they won’t make him fight for his job this summer.
LaFleur made it clear last year that, despite Walker’s emergence as the team’s starting left tackle, he had not fully arrived. There were more things he needed to improve on with the nuances of being a professional.
“He's been doing a better job, for sure. And I think it all starts with his approach,” LaFleur said last fall. “I’ve noticed just how intentional he is in his preparation.
“I think he's done a really good job with that, and it's got to continue. Because I always tell them, ‘I don't want to pat you on the butt and (have) you poop in my hands.”
Last year, according to PFF, 67 offensive tackles played at least 500 snaps. By its subjective grading, Walker’s grade ranked 36th. In its more-concrete pass-blocking efficiency, which measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-blocking snap, he ranked 41st.
Is that going to be worth the top-dollar amount that offensive linemen are able to command in free agency?
Perhaps the Packers could simply want to reinforce their offensive line while giving themselves some options.
A left tackle in the NFL is one of the league’s hottest commodities. It’s why they get over-drafted in the draft and overpaid in free agency. Simmons would give the Packers a chance to have cost-controlled options on the offensive line.
Furthermore, the offensive line is something the Packers are always going to focus on, having drafted three blockers in three of the last four drafts. Gutekunst just watched the Philadelphia Eagles maul their way to a Super Bowl. One of the teams they mauled en route to winning the NFC, was Gutekunst’s Packers.
Gutekunst appeared to take note in his season-ending press conference.
“Those big guys are hard to find, so that's never something we're not going to address,” Gutekunst said. “We've been pretty consistent (with) that in our time here. We very much believe that, with the exception of quarterback, winning in the trenches is how we need to get it done.”
Could Simmons be the potential heir to a throne that recently included surefire Packers Hall of Famers like David Bakhtiari and Chad Clifton?
Maybe it’s just due diligence on a talented prospect who has injury concerns, but the Packers are at minimum looking to find competition for their blindside protector for Jordan Love.
