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Former Ohio State and Penn State receiver Julian Fleming reportedly failed his physical due to hip and back injuries
Coming out of high school in 2020, Julian Fleming was the top-ranked receiver per 247 Sports’ consensus rankings and was the third-ranked player in his entire high school class — only behind defensive tackle Bryan Bresee and quarterback Bryce Young, two future first-round picks in the NFL. Unfortunately for Fleming, he was never able to reach the superstardom that his recruiting profile predicted.
Over five seasons at the college level, Fleming posted just 1,139 receiving yards, nearly half of which came in 2022. Last year, he transferred from Ohio State, where he spent the first four years of his college career, to Penn State, where he recorded 14 receptions for 176 yards and one touchdown as a redshirt senior.
Immediately following the 2025 NFL Draft, it was reported that the Green Bay Packers had signed Fleming to an undrafted rookie free agent contract. When the Packers’ rookie minicamp came around, though, he was neither listed as a player who signed with the team nor as a tryout player for the squad.
So what happened with Fleming coming to Green Bay? According to Marc Malkoskie of The News-Item, a Pennsylvania newspaper stationed less than 20 miles from Fleming’s high school, Fleming failed his physical with the Packers, reportedly due to hip and back injuries.
Fleming actually took the trip to Green Bay last week, but was turned away by the team after his sub-standard medical checks. Fleming wasn’t invited to the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, and the Packers did not reportedly bring him in on a pre-draft visit, so there’s a good chance that Green Bay wasn’t aware of the extent of his injuries when they offered him a spot on their offseason roster.
Per Malkoskie, the former Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year is receiving interest from the San Francisco 49ers, Washington Commanders and Baltimore Ravens, who worked him out about a month ago during the pre-draft process.
Since the team’s flurry of undrafted rookie signings following the draft, the Packers have released two players and signed linebacker Isaiah Simmons. At the moment, Green Bay has an open spot on its 91-man roster. Don’t be surprised if that extra roster spot, made available by Fleming, goes to 1 of the 11 tryout players the Packers brought in for rookie minicamp or former cornerback Robert Rochell, who was recently released by the Kansas City Chiefs.
