WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The #ProDeacs family added its newest member when the Green Bay Packers chose offensive lineman Zach Tom with the 140th overall pick in the fourth round.
Tom is just the sixth Wake Forest player to ever be chosen by the Packers and the first since linebacker Jeremy Thompson was chosen in 2008 in the fourth round.
This is the third offensive lineman selected in the Dave Clawson era, all coming within the last four NFL Drafts. Phil Haynes was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round in 2019 and Justin Herron was selected by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2020 draft.
Wake Forest has now had at least one pick in every NFL Draft since 2017, tying the second longest streak in the common NFL Draft era (since 1967). That streak matches the program's record of now six-straight bowl berths. Additionally during this streak, the Demon Deacons have had 28 players sign NFL contracts.
Additionally, a Demon Deacon has been drafted in the top four rounds in four of the last five years.
From Coach Clawson
"Zach Tom is truly one of the most elite and versatile offensive lineman that has come through our program. Along with anchoring our offensive line at left tackle and center over the past few years as we extended our bowl streak to six-straight which is the Atlantic Coast Conference's second-longest active run, Zach is a Demon Deacon graduate that and recently pursued his Master's in Business Administration from the Wake Forest School of Business. The Green Bay Packers are getting a technically sound football player that will be effective in the NFL for a long time."
From Zach Tom
"Getting the phone call man, that was like a dream come true. You work your whole life for that moment. And when it finally happened, I was just sitting there watching my family and it just feels like a dream. It didn't feel real and it was the biggest moment in my life. So just crazy. I don't have words to describe it. I'm looking forward to just getting into work. I'm just ready to go there, compete and I'll just get to work. That's what this is all for. So, yeah, that's exciting."
More on Tom
He appeared in 48 games over the course of his career, making 37 starts including all 36 over the last three seasons. Over the course of his career, Tom has played in 3,107 snaps and gave up just two sacks.
During his final season with the Demon Deacons, Tom was chosen as an All-American by Phil Steele, The Athletic and the Football Writers Association of America. He also captured the Jim Tatum Award, given to the top senior student-athlete in the conference while also earning First Team All-ACC status by league, coaches and press. He was listed on the Outland Trophy Preseason Watch List while also being named a Campbell Trophy Preseason Semifinalist, given to the top senior student-athlete in the country.
He was named ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week for the first time of his career following Wake Forest's win over Duke, which helped Wake Forest start the season 8-0, the best start in program history and the longest winning streak in program history. Additionally, he tallied more plays than any other Demon Deacon in 2021, finishing the year with 1,205 snaps.
The 2021 ACC Postgraduate Scholarship recipient was also a three-time member of the ACC All-Academic Team in 2019, 2020 and 2021 while also earning All-ACC honorable mention on the field in 2019.
According to PFF, he has the highest pass blocking grade at 92.1 percent of any FBS offensive lineman who has played over 25 snaps.
