New Green Bay OL Jon Runyan Jr Accidentally Hung up on the Packers at the Worst Possible Time
By Sam Dunn
You never get a second chance to make a first impression, and Jon Runyan Jr. was surely feeling the very worst kind of heat at the moment of the most important first impression of his professional life. The Michigan Wolverines offensive lineman had just been selected by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, but as the team reached out to him on the phone to greet him formally, Runyan was busy texting with his agent -- and accidentally hung up on the Pack.
Spoiler alert: This story has a happy ending. But that doesn't make it less funny.
Jon Runyan Jr. would have been an interesting story anyway given his father's 2 remarkable careers: One as a Pro Bowl OT (@BIGJDR) and the other as a Congressman (RepJonRunyan).
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) April 25, 2020
But it got even better when he accidentally declined the Packers draft call: https://t.co/cgH9jbblMR
Brian Gutekunst and Co. would have been within their rights to assume the Maize and Blue lineman was big-timing them. After all, Runyan's dad, Jon Sr., was a star tackle in his own right, earning All-Pro honors with the Titans and a Pro Bowl nod with the Eagles before being elected to the US Congress and serving two terms.
Luckily, there was no big-timing involved. It was just a mistake from a likely quite nervously excited Wolverine ready to take a bite out of the NFL.
Jon Runyan Jr. was on every single #Packers mock draft I did this draft season. I loved him on Day 3 for Green Bay. Great athlete, NFL bloodlines and experience in the Big 10.
— Peter Bukowski (@Peter_Bukowski) April 25, 2020
Meet your new swing tackle. The best pick they’ve made since Day 1 imo
All's well that ends well here. But if an when it's ever needed, the Packers have this wayward anecdote in their back pocket to cut the big lad down to size.