Left Tackle Who Allowed Zero Sacks Will Have NFL Draft Visit with Packers

Washington State left tackle Esa Pole took a unique path in getting ready for the 2025 NFL Draft.

Washington State Cougars offensive lineman Esa Pole (76) celebrates after a victory over Hawaii. / James Snook-Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Washington State offensive lineman Esa Pole, who started 21 consecutive games at left tackle, will take a predraft visit to the Green Bay Packers next month.

Pole is an interesting story. He didn’t play football in high school.

“My mom wasn’t a big believer in football,” Pole said in 2023. “She believed that a concussion was the last thing I needed. But she was OK with basketball and I wanted to do something. I knew my size was going to come to an advantage in some sports, so I started playing basketball.”

Enter his brother. Toni Pole was a defensive tackle at Washington State who played in 46 games from 2011 through 2014. He went undrafted in 2015 and competed for a spot in training camp with the Bengals.

When Esa Pole graduated from high school, Toni Pole was the defensive line coach at Chabot College. Toni recruited his brother to Chabot.

“He’s been trying to convince me [to play football] since I was a kid,” Esa said. “He saw me grow and was like, ‘Just play football.’ As I got older, I put my big-boy pants on a little bit and told my mom, ‘I think I want to try football.’”

It wouldn’t be on the defensive line, though. The coaches thought Esa’s basketball background gave him the quick feet to play on the offensive line.

Esa Pole started at left tackle for Chabot for two seasons before transferring to Washington State. His debut season with the Cougars was a bit of a struggle but his 2024 season was sensational. According to PFF, he allowed zero sacks and nine total pressures in 498 pass-blocking snaps.

At pro day, he measured 6-foot-5 1/4 and 323 pounds with 33 5/8-inch arms. His Relative Athletic Score was 7.30.

After his workout, he said: “I got up around 5:15, 5:30-ish, had to look myself in the mirror and say, ‘Today’s the day you've been working for for so long.’ You put everything on the line and you just want to put your best foot forward every day.”

He’s been training with former NFL tight end Lee Smith.

“Everything that he says and every word that he spits out to us and our fellow trainers in Tennessee, we should listen,” Pole said at pro day. “My knowledge of the game just went (up) leaps and bounds compared to where I was after the season.”

Pole’s visit to Green Bay will take place April 13 and 14, according to a source. PFF ranks Pole the No. 296 prospect in the class.

“It’s hard when you’re in that dark and you’re trying to really have that dream,” Pole said. “My first day [at Chabot] and first practices and stuff, I’m dying just from the warm up. That’s just what helped me carry through the dark times I had here, the dark times I had during pro day training, and dark times I’m going to have in the future.

“The more you get comfortable with it, the more you understand that once that light hits, it’s just champagne bottles everywhere.”

The Packers have 11 offensive linemen under contract, with Josh Myers signing with the Jets and Andre Dillard still unsigned. Pole would have a good opportunity to stick, though. Of the 11, Trey Hill, Marquis Hayes, Donovan Jennings and 2024 draft picks Jacob Monk and Travis Glover have little experience.

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