Indiana offensive guard Simon Stepaniak has been drafted by the Green Bay Packers, as his name was called at No. 209 overall in the sixth round.
The Packers' choice represented the first Hoosier to go off the board in the 2020 NFL Draft and extended Indiana's now-seven-year streak of sending alumni to the League through the draft. The previous such streak last 16 years, spanning form 1983 to 1998.
In a more minute standpoint, at least one graduating Indiana offensive line starter has been drafted since 2015, a streak that began with Jason Spriggs, who was also drafted by the Packers in 2016, and has included Dan Feeney (2017) and Wes Martin (2019).
Stepaniak appeared in 41 games and started 31 of them at Indiana and was a team captain in 2019. He was also named Third Team All-Big Ten by the coaches.
During Indiana's historic season, Stepaniak was the glue that bound the Indiana offensive line together. He had missed one game – Indiana's win at Nebraska – before suffering an ACL injury in bowl practices leading up to the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville.
The only Hoosier to earn an invitation to the NFL Combine, Stepaniak recorded the second-best bench press result at the event but couldn't showcase the majority of his skill set due to his injury. During a teleconference earlier this spring, Stepaniak said he has been rehabilitating his knee at home in Hamilton, Ohio, where he works with Athletico to prepare himself for minicamp this summer. He said NFL team doctors have been optimistic that he will be ready by August.
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