Get to Know Packers Undrafted Free Agent OG Jon Dietzen

Wisconsin's Jon Dietzen, who played his high school ball in nearby Seymour, came out of retirement to earn his shot with the Packers.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
May 3, 2021 1:48 PM EDT

GREEN BAY, Wis. – On Feb. 11, 2019, University of Wisconsin guard Jon Dietzen pulled the plug on his NFL career.

“At that point, I truly believed I was done with football," Dietzen told UWBadgers.com. "I basically had been putting up with numerous injuries – kind of repetitive things – and I really just thought it wasn't the best thing for me.

“I can't say it was anything specifically, but it was a culmination of things that brought me to the point where I felt like I couldn't do it anymore … I took some time to myself to think about what I wanted at that time. And at that time, I didn't really think that I wanted to be playing ball.”

Five or six months later, Dietzen got the itch to start playing. That fall, with the Badgers’ season in progress, he began training again. Previously dogged by ankle and hip injuries, Dietzen felt healthy and strong. The NCAA granted him a sixth year of eligibility and he returned to the Badgers for the COVID-plagued 2020 season.

“Just the time away from football itself kind of made me realize how much I appreciated the game and how much it gave me,” Dietzen told WLUK-TV before UW’s pro day. "The more time I spent away thinking, the more I was like, ‘OK, I have that one year left. What could’ve happened in that one year?’ A lot of things could’ve changed. That’s the year that a lot of things happen for a lot of guys.”

Indeed, plenty changed. The team’s starting left tackle in 2018, he won the starting job at left guard – his main post in 2016 and 2017. He played well, took allowing zero sacks and only one quarterback hit while starting seven times, according to Pro Football Focus. While Dietzen, who went to nearby Seymour High School, went undrafted, he signed with the Green Bay Packers, where he’ll join former Badgers teammate and Suamico native Cole Van Lanen.

At pro day, he measured 6-foot-4 5/8 and 312 pounds. His 20-yard shuttle time of 4.58 seconds was excellent; his 19 bench-press reps, not so much.

Making the roster will be an uphill battle. Four-fifths of the starting offensive line is back and six linemen were added the past two drafts. Still, he’s got a better chance now than when he was contemplating a life outside of the game he loved.

“It’s not something that’s going to be handed to you or guaranteed, so it’s something I’m going to have to work for.”

Why he’s got a chance with the Packers: The Badgers churn out blockers in assembly line fashion. Having played well at multiple spots (24 starts at left guard, 14 at left tackle and one at right tackle) against high-quality competition, he’s got a fighting chance so long as he can stay healthy.

Here’s a snippet of his scouting report from Bucky’s Fifth Quarter: Dietzen has been a good solider for the Badgers during his six years in Madison, starting games at three different positions and playing in 46 games. He’ll be solid in the run game, and is familiar and experienced in many concepts as the Badgers run a little of everything. However, in pass protection he’ll never be quite solid enough to survive in the NFL as anything more than a band-aid swing interior offensive lineman.