The Green Bay Packers replaced Corey Linsley by drafting another Buckeye.
Josh Myers is the Packers' new center, as Green Bay made him the No. 62 overall pick, taking him off the board in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
There's just something about Ohio State centers in Green Bay...
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) May 1, 2021
Big time pick @packers
Watch the 2021 3NFLDraft April 29-May 1 on @nflnetwork #GoBuckeyes #DevelopedHere @josh_myers71 pic.twitter.com/azjdKslJ4S
Go @packers! @josh_myers71 & family are ready #DevelopedHere #GoBuckeyes #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/qitoNYmQDf
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) May 1, 2021
“I was so excited. It's hard for me to even put into words what that feeling is like,” Myers said when asked about getting the call from the Packers. “I've spent my whole life working at this game, and I don't know if I've ever seen it pay off so quickly without warning.
“Just the biggest rush of emotion I've ever felt in my life.”
This is what its all about.@josh_myers71 just shared the moment of his life with his family when he got the call from the @packers pic.twitter.com/gJG6Wwm8wx
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) May 1, 2021
He's the third former Ohio State player to get picked this year, joining first-round pick Justin Fields and second-round pick Pete Werner, who went just two picks before Myers to the New Orleans Saints.
He follows Michael Jordan, Billy Price and Pat Elflein as the fourth Buckeye center in the past five years to get drafted, all in the first four rounds.
Myers becomes the second Buckeye on the Packers' current roster, joining Mike Weber. He's the first Buckeye drafted by the Packers since Linsley (who also wore No. 71 at Ohio State), who joined the Los Angeles Chargers as a free agent this offseason after spending seven seasons with the Packers and earning All-Pro honors as the NFL's best center last year.
Asked about the possibility of succeeding Linsley as the Packers' next starting center, Myers said “it would mean everything to me.”
Myers opted to leave college with remaining eligibility after four years as a Buckeye and two seasons of experience as a starter. He earned accolades for his play up front in both 2019 and 2020. As a redshirt sophomore in his first year starting, Myers was named a second-team All-Big Ten honoree by the media. Last season, he was a Rimington Trophy finalist and first-team All-Big Ten selection by the conference's coaches.
Last year, Myers started all but one game – against Michigan State, which he missed due to a positive COVID-19 test – but played through a turf toe injury in the College Football Playoff that required postseason surgery. Thus, he couldn't work out at Ohio State's pro day outside of measuring in at 6-foot-5 and weighing in at 310 pounds, but the Packers saw enough from Myers on film to take him in the second round anyway.
“He's a 2020 team captain there, and that's a big deal, especially as an offensive lineman,” Packers director of college scouting Matt Malaspina said after the pick. “It's very important for him to be viewed along the lines of those great Ohio State centers. He's going to graduate in consumer science this May. He's a good student. He's football-smart. He loves ball. He's in the building. I mean, he's the perfect representative for Ohio State. And that comes out of their building, whether it's their strength coach, their offensive line coach. He's what you want, whether you're running a corporation or a football team.”
Before the draft, Myers was ranked as the No. 66 potential draftee by The Athletic's Dane Brugler and the No. 106 overall prospect by ESPN's Todd McShay.
