AllGreenBayPackers.Com

Hmmmmm, how many wide receivers can I find?

Here is the complete list of the Packers’2012 UDFA (undrafted free agent) signings, complete with rankings, height, weight and 40 yard dash times. We will be continually updating the list with additional player information or adding new signings, so check back in throughout the day.

Dale Moss, WR, South Dakota St – 6’3″ 220lbs, 4.39 40yd dash time -

Was the 30th ranked wide receiver with a “preferred free agent” grade by NFL Scouting.  At his Pro day, also had a 41.5 inch vertical, had a 10’10 broad jump. In 2011, caught 61 passes for 949 yards and 6 TDs in 10 games.

Darius Reynolds, WR, Iowa State – 6’0″ 209lbs, 4.54 40yd dash time -

Was the 79th ranked wide receiver with a “camp invitee” grade by NFL Scouting. In 2011, caught 43 passes for 695 yards and 7 TDs in 11 games.

Marcus Rivers, WR, Buffalo – 6’0″ 212lbs, 4.61 40yd dash time -

Was the 73rd ranked wide receiver with a “camp invitee” grade by NFL Scouting. In 2011, caught 60 passes for 615 yards and 2 TDs in 12 games.

Nic Cooper, FB, Winston-Salem State – 5’10″ 249lbs, 4.73 40yd dash time -

Was the 51st ranked fullback with a “camp invitee” grade by NFL Scouting.

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From the end of the NFL season and through the draft we see the big name prospects dominating coverage.  Getting those top picks right or wrong impact teams for years.

Everyone wants the next Clay Matthews or the next Aaron Rodgers. Fans want to see that kind of player fall into place.

To be honest, by the time the draft comes around I have had enough of   those players.

You can only guess so many times where those top 20 or so players are going to go and it just gets boring.  So I am going to peek at the bottom of the draft instead.

When you review the rosters top to bottom in the NFL, starters, backups, practice squads there are hundreds of undrafted players. Last year 61 new undrafted players made NFL rosters.

Every year teams sign ten to fifteen UDFA’s in feeding frenzy that takes place the minute the draft ends to try get the best of the rest.

The Packers at this time have twenty seven UDFA’s on their roster, with eight of them starting games last year.

I admit I’m a big fan of the late round pick and UDFA’s.  If you are lucky enough to get to a practice, Packer family night or a pre season game it might be the only time you get to see some these players.

Some you see are not going to make it at all. Others you see how bad they want it. And some you wonder why that player was not drafted.  Read more... (1053 words + 1 image, estimated 4:13 mins reading time)

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It probably goes without saying that the 2011 Green Bay Packers should have a deep, talented roster.

That was likely the case before the last season begun, too, and it was proven time and time again during the course of the season when 15 players went to IR. Because of that talent and depth in the roster, the Packers were able to overcome the injuries and win the Super Bowl.

Heading into this season, the Packers only lost a handful of players from that run. The list of players from 2010 playing elsewhere this year: Cullen Jenkins (Eagles), Nick Barnett (Bills), Brandon Jackson (Browns), Daryn Colledge (Cardinals), Jason Spitz (Jaguars), Korey Hall (Saints) and Brady Poppinga (Rams). Brandon Chillar, Mark Tauscher, Anthony Smith, Atari Bigby, Matt Wilhelm, Justin Harrell and Derrick Martin are currently free agents without a team.

From those names, only Jenkins, Jackson, Colledge, Spitz and Hall were with the team the entire season. All the others were either mid-season pickups or went on IR at some point during the year. The point here is that the Packers found adequate replacements for the rest of the players listed, somewhat nullifying their impact on this year’s roster.

It’s a testament to GM Ted Thompson and his team of scouts, as they have done a terrific job of identifying talent, regardless of which avenue they’ve taken to acquire it.  Read more... (1185 words + 2 images, estimated 4:44 mins reading time)

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The Green Bay Packers signed South Carolina wide receiver Tori Gurley Monday night, following up their acquistion of Utah kick returner Shaky Smithson.

Gurley didn’t make an official visit to the Packers before the draft. At 6-4, 220 pounds, Gurley is an imposing receiver who surprised some by coming out after just his redshirt sophomore season. At the NFL combine, Gurley ran the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds, the 20-yard dash in 2.67 and the 10 in 1.62. He also benched 225 pounds 15 times and had a vertical leap of 33.5 inches. He chose not to run at his pro day in March.

College summary

Gurley certainly didn’t light up the stat book in his two years at South Carolina. He caught just 31 passes for 440 yards and two touchdowns in his redshirt freshman season, and he followed that up with 44 catches for 465 yards and four touchdowns the next season. Joe Schad of ESPN did state that Gurley was “one of the most sure-handed receivers in the nation with no drops the entire season.”

During the 2010 season, Gurley had one of the best games in South Carolina’s receiving history. He caught 13 passes (one short of the school record) for 109 yards and a touchdown. But for most of his career at South Carolina, Gurley was stuck behind likely 2012 first rounder Alshon Jeffrey and his production lagged behind.

Commentary  Read more... (493 words + 1 image, estimated 1:58 mins reading time)

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The Green Bay Packers have signed Utah wide receiver and returner Shaky Smithson to a deal Monday night, kicking off the undrafted free agent signing period that followed today’s agreement on a new CBA.

Smithson was scouted throughly by the Packers pre-draft, as he was one of 12 players who made an official visit with the Green Bay before April’s NFL draft. At his pro day in Utah, Smithson ran the 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds, the 20-yard dash in 2.71 and the 10 in 1.65. He also put up 10 reps at 225 pounds and had a vertical leap of 30.5 inches.

Shaky Smithson College summary

Smithson is listed as a receiver but he made his name at Utah as one of the more dynamic returners in the NCAA. While he started just four games on offense and caught only 25 passes for 383 yards his senior year, Smithson’s 19.1 yards per punt return and four 100-yard punt return games led the nation.

He also returned two punts for touchdowns and was 24th in the nation in kick return average (24.1 yards). His 2010 totals on punt returns broke the Mountain West record for a season. For his efforts, Smithson was named second team All-Mountain West in 2010.

Commentary

Smithson is an electrifying return man, but the Packers drafted Randall Cobb in the second round and it’s widely believed that he’ll be the main returner on both punts and kicks. If Cobb has a larger role in the offense than previously expected, Smithson could be asked to be the primary returner. The Packers have been desperate to help their return game for the better part of a decade.  Read more... (413 words + 1 image, estimated 1:39 mins reading time)

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World Champion Packers and Other NFL Teams Will be Eying these Rookie Free Agents

In anticipation of a new CBA being in place by the end of this week, I wanted to give you all a reminder of some good players who never heard their name called in the April NFL DRAFT. Much of the attention in the next couple of weeks will be on Veteran free Agent signings, as 1/4 of the league’s players are eligible to sign wherever they can find work offers. But for a lot of teams like the PACKERS, STEELERS, BENGALS, etc. the search will be on for a few good men who probably should have been drafted, and will scratch out an NFL career the hard way.

If you doubt the effectiveness of finding good players through this process please remember that the Super Bowl champion PACKERS were starting 2 such rookies at the end of last season in SAM SHIELDS & FRANK ZOMBO. A little luck, some patience, good coaching & skilled eyes in the Personnel Dept. can bring good value to an NFL roster at very little initial cost. And it appears that there will indeed be a Salary Cap to struggle with in the new CBA.

   Read more... (1696 words + 1 image, estimated 6:47 mins reading time)

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On Monday, the up-and-down talk of the NFL lockout centered around a potential date—July 21st—for when this seemingly never-ending labor dispute will be over. Regardless of when it ends, however, there’s a couple of aspects I’m fairly certain about for when we see that fateful day.

One of the things I think the new agreement will likely allow is for teams to add a few more players to their roster than the previous number of 53. This would help counteract the effects of this lockout on the 2011 crop of undrafted free agents. The second is more obvious. As we’ve come to expect, GM Ted Thompson rarely adds veteran free agents, and I’d bet on that continuing once the lockout ends. It’s likely that the only chance for seeing new Packers (besides draft picks, of course) is via undrafted free agents, an avenue where Thompson has been wildly successful.

So while we’ve touched on the subject before here at AllGreenBayPackers.com, here is a revised and updated list of potential undrafted free agents the Packers might consider once the lockout finally ends.

QUARTERBACKS

Scott Tolzien, Wisconsin: He’s a smart and accurate quarterback who could help fill the void if Matt Flynn leaves in free agency next season. Would need to beat out current No. 3 Graham Harrell, but both McCarthy and Thompson were in Madison to see him at UW’s Pro Day.  Read more... (1297 words + 1 image, estimated 5:11 mins reading time)

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