Packers Need a Tackle; It Probably Won’t Be Wirfs
GREEN BAY, Wis. – With Bryan Bulaga entering free agency and David Bakhtiari entering his final season under contract, the Green Bay Packers have a need at offensive tackle.
Chances are, that need will not be filled by Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs.
Wirfs, unlikely to get to Green Bay’s spot at No. 30, anyway, destroyed the Scouting Combine on Friday in Indianapolis. His vertical jump of 36.5 inches and broad jump of 10 feet, 1 inch set Combine records for an offensive lineman. He ran his 40 unofficially in 4.86 seconds.
“My best attribute?” he asked, responding to a question on Wednesday. “ I don’t know. I think I’m pretty powerful. I think I can move guys off the line of scrimmage.”
“I think it’s going to be a fun couple of days,” he added.
Wirfs was a two-year starter, mostly at right tackle but with three starts at left tackle during an All-American final season. He was voted the Big Ten’s best offensive lineman. In his final seven games, Wirfs allowed one pressure, according to PFF. According to Sports Info Solutions, he allowed no sacks and was flagged once for holding in 2019.
He got better every day at practice by facing All-American edge rusher A.J. Epenesa.
“They were pretty fun,” he said of those battle. “I went A.J. a lot, and we had some battles. I met with the Broncos, and they said that the day the scout was there, I didn’t lose to A.J., and I was like, I’m glad you were there that day. But it goes back and forth, he’s one of my best friends on the team, and we’ll try to help each other get better. If he sees something, if he beat me in 1-on-1s, he’ll tell me what he saw. If I beat him, then I’ll tell him what I saw. It’s nice.”
During his final year at Mount Vernon (Iowa) High School, Wirfs was an All-America in football, state champion in wrestling and state champion in the shot put and discus in track and field, including an amazing worst-to-first performance at the state meet.
“Wrestling, it’s a pretty big thing in Iowa, and I think the two biggest things you can take away from wrestling in football are body control and awareness, and hand movement,” he said. “Being able to do that shows teams how competitive I am, it takes a lot to be a wrestler, and people from Iowa will attest to that. And they’re two individual sports, you versus another guy, and I hate losing, so I’m not going to let another man beat me. I’m going to do whatever I can to stop it. You’ve got to do the same thing on the offensive line.”
