Overview
Position: Offensive guard
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 313 pounds
School: Indiana Hoosiers
Combine Performance Data
Bench press: 37 reps (second-best among offensive linemen)
Simon Stepaniak 2020 NFL Draft Profile
The state of Ohio always boasts plenty of depth when it comes to highly talented high school prospects able to eventually compete at the highest level of college football. Simon Stepaniak certainly fitted into that mold. Rated the 44th-best prospect in the state by Rivals.com, Stepaniak received four scholarship offers from Big Ten schools. In the end, he was the first commit of then-Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson‘s 2015 recruiting class.
Stepaniak redshirted in 2015 in part to add more bulk as he weighed just 285 pounds at the end of high school. He would proceed to become a consistent contributor for the remainder of his career with the Hoosiers. It came in a limited capacity as a redshirt freshman as he started just two games but he did see action in all 12 of them. He missed six games due to injury the following season, but he started the other six. And over his final two seasons in Bloomington, he would start all 23 games that he played in. Unfortunately, he tore his ACL during a practice ahead of IU’s appearance in the 2020 Gator Bowl, an injury he’s still recovering from.
Strengths
- comes up off the snap in a nice, compressed stance;
- generates an impressive initial pop to jolt opponents;
- gets hands into defender at the right spots to establish leverage;
- does a good job finishing blocks and playing to the whistle;
- a multi-tasker capable of combo blocking;
- showcased upper-body strength with bench press effort at Combine;
- able to keep defenders bottled up as part of a double-team;
Weaknesses
- below-average arm length;
- can get put onto his heels by powerful and physical defenders;
- feet are way too wide in pass pro which can affect contact balance;
- pad level gets too far ahead of his feet when down blocking;
- a clunky mover in space;
- not much of a second-level blocker;
- struggled to consistently stay healthy during college career.
NFL Comparison: Joe Dahl
Teams With Need at Position: Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers
Projection: sixth to seventh round
Bottom Line
Given the starter-level reps he enjoyed in 2019, Stepaniak played a prominent role in Indiana finishing a season with eight wins for the first time since 1993. His ability to bring the heat in the trenches was a big reason the Hoosiers finished second in passing offense among Big Ten teams. Stepaniak is definitely capable of holding his own at the point of attack as he executes sound hand positioning on defenders and stays coiled in a leverage-generating stance.
But Stepaniak has some deficiencies from a traits standpoint, particularly with respect to his 32-inch arms. He’s also susceptible to getting overwhelmed by bullrushes from overly physical maulers on the interior of the defense. And covering the gaps could also be an issue since he’s not the most laterally athletic. At the end of the day, though, Stepaniak is capable of improving his weak points with proper coaching. He should be a solid add for teams looking to replenish the ranks, so to speak, at the guard position. Look for him to come off the board at some point during the final two rounds of the draft.
