UDFAs Pick 3

[tynimiller]

This concept was breached in another thread and I love discussions and projections like this. Every single year roster cuts hold a few surprises....and a few UDFAs slip in and claim a spot. So pick 3 UDFAs that you feel have the best shot or would be your locks if someone told you 3 were going to make it.

IF you need a refresher of UDFAs that we signed you can find them here: https://www.packerforum.com/threads/udfa-signings.83523/


My three are as follows, and I chose to put them in the order I feel their chances and likelihood is highest to lowest AS THE CURRENT ROSTER IS SET (this is crucial to my predictions for one specific player):

Stanford Samuels (FSU) - Cornerback

By now we all know the claims of his time at combine not being accurate according to him...either way, watch his tape. Is he a BLAZER speed wise no, but he does play much faster than the time would indicate.

As a junior, Samuels played in 851 snaps, allowing 41 receptions on 81 targets for 560 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 71.0 passer rating.

- Newsbreak article

I kinda agree with Deion Sanders when he said he thinks Safety is a real valid direction he could see Samuels excel at. Granted, we have that position pretty well secure when it comes to the starters, his versatility and ability to possibly serve as both a CB or a S just further draws my eye. His length is great and worthy of the NFL...he has proven capable against solid competition...it is his speed which is the only worry. Footwork to me can overcome some of this and I feel if not pressed into a role too soon, he is easily capable of pushing towards the ceiling many felt he had coming out of High School. Every draft pundit had him for sure being drafted due to all this...and honestly he is arguably my top UDFA when the draft dust settled. I give him the best odds for sure of garnering a roster spot and even furthering us from a King re-signing.

Delontae Scott (SMU) - Edge/OLB

Gonna be honest, I truly like the value at how we had all three OLB/EDGE guys arrive in Green Bay between Scott and Galeai both as UDFAs and also the 7th round flyer on Garvin.

Scott however, I'll pick as the guy that wins a serious battle to be that #4 guy on the roster as Gary was last year behind Fackrell. At 6-5 and 247lbs he has some serious speed around the edge and I think out of the three has the best chance at setting the edge, something Pettine is looking for and is one thing Gary excelled at as a rookie in his limited snaps.

Watch some of his tape fellas, I think you will even possibly ponder on how he went undrafted. Scott finished his career with more tackles for losses (36) than starts (28). In 2019, he had 18 tackles for losses and 10 sacks to end his career...those are pretty freaking solid numbers for a guy at his position. This is a position on our roster for 1 maybe two guys to truly earn their keep, yes playing time is LIMITED as we firmly have 3 guys well ahead of them, but still ripe for the taking.

**My third one is very dependent on roster shake outs. IF we didn't have Jones/Williams/Dillon/Williams on the roster at running back presently I would 100% without hesitation write in Patrick Taylor out of Memphis. Had it not been for 2019 injury issue this cat may have been a late Day 2 pick to some, but definitely long gone by draft's end. Between he and Dillon being added I strongly advocate for us to see what we can get for Jamaal, especially should there be any camp or pre-season injuries (assuming we have both or one). I also truly love Sunderland out of Troy (cornerback)-the Oklahoma transfer has length, height and can RUN!! But with King still here, the promise of Sullivan and the addition of Samuels I am betting on, and obviously a few others on roster from 2019 Sunderland could be looking at Practice Squad.

So, as it sits now I'll go with:

Krys Barnes (UCLA) - Linebacker

Krys caught my eye as a Day 3 (albeit later Day 3) guy. Slightly undersized, it doesn't hamper his willingness nor his ability to put his nose on the ball without hesitation. That size does allow him to do well in shallow coverage responsibilities and I expect he will excel at special team play. I always struggled with ******* him down to a description, and guys like that I often find can hold a low end roster spot very well. He doesn't do anything amazingly well, BUT he arguably doesn't do anything poorly either. Look for Barnes to push Summers, Burks, Williams and even Kamaal for that complimentary role to Kirksey.



Who do you got? Where do you see the dust settling on the UDFA class, who are the top 3 in your mind to make the team, NOT top 3 - but top 3 to make the team.

 

[HardRightEdge]

Having next to nothing to go by, it might mean something, not much, that 5 of these guys got some guaranteed salary in their contracts according to overthecap.com. All of UDFAs got $2,333 signing bonuses. The guaranteed amounts are:

Previlon, Galeai and Black: $25,000 each
Bruffy: $20,000
Scott: $15,000

It's possible they liked these guys a bit better than the others, a kicker to keep them from signing elsewhere. Of course it is possible one of the other guys downed down a little extra money from another team if he thought the Packers offered a better chance to make the roster.

When you get down to it, the question to ask is which positions offer the most open competition. The "best" player is not necessarily the one who makes the roster if the holes are at other positions. These spots seem to offer the best opportunities:

• Base ILB: When you find yourself penciling in a 5th. round rookie coming off an injury plagued season you should reckon that's a competitive situation.
• Hybrid ILB: This position is often called "dime linebacker" which is a contradiction in terms. It is the Will ILB position in nickel. We might pencil in Greene who played in that spot in the first two games last season before going to IR with an unspecified ankle injury. He didn't play after being reactivated.

Assuming 4 ILBs on the roster, there's only one spot you could consider locked up. Even if Martin and Green are fit as fiddles and move from pencilled to penned, that 4th. spot is wide open. Burks is on the bubble, unfortunately.

• Saftey: The other side of the coin is if Greene as swing man is allocated to the S group as the next man up if anything happens to Amos or Savage with Redmond at #4. That would open up yet another spot at ILB. And it's not like Redmond is all that solid.

Bottom line, between ILB and Safety where there is overlap, there are a few roster spots up for grabs, more if there are injury hangovers.

• CB: Barring a return of Tramon Williams, which I would not yet rule out, Sullivan is the likely successor in the slot but I don't think you can pen him. His playmaking came mostly out of zone coverage. How he holds up to a 75-80% snap count in Pettine's predominantly man D remains to be seen. But even if Sullivan makes the grade, the bench is a wide open compeition. Jackson is another unfortunate incumbent on the bubble. They worked him in some at safety but that didn't look too good. Maybe he shows enough progression to make it as corner/safety swing man which saves a roster spot.

• DL: Adams is looking like a bust and Keke is not exactly burning up the track. Lancaster has had his ups and downs. If you carry 5 there is room for competition at least for Adams' spot.

• Edge: The #4 spot is up for competition with Fackrell's departure.

It should not be a suprise that 9 of 15 are on the defensive side of the ball especially with the draft being offense-heavy. Once you scrape the cream off the top of this defense, the immediate thought should be I hope nobody gets hurt. That leaves open a lot of competition for the bench and even a starting spot or two in base or nickel.

Offense is a different matter. QB is set unless they want to double down on big-athletic and swap out Byole for Jalen Morton on the PS. RB is set even if Williams ends up traded with Ervin as #3. WR is so chock-o-block with vets Darrell Stewart would have to be a shocking revelation. TE is set and there isn't even a UDFA at that position. The incumbent bench and Day 3 picks stack up in front of Zach Johnson, another guy who would have to be a revelation. OT? Is there room for Bruffy to sneak in? He probably has the best odds of all the offensive long shots given the bench consists of Lane Taylor on the left side and Turner on the right side in a line shuffle. Bruffy's probably a right side guy but played both sides in college. He needs to add mass, however, which would make him more of a PS guy.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Delontae Scott (SMU) - Edge/OLB

Watch some of his tape fellas, I think you will even possibly ponder on how he went undrafted. Scott finished his career with more tackles for losses (36) than starts (28). In 2019, he had 18 tackles for losses and 10 sacks to end his career...those are pretty freaking solid numbers for a guy at his position.

Just for the record and I'm not sure you suggest otherwise but sacks are counted as tackles for loss.

Otherwise I agree with HRE that position of need will be a huge role in which undrafted free agents will make the team.

If I had to guess at this point I would go with Tipa Galaei, Zack Johnson and Stanford Samuels.

 

[tynimiller]

Just for the record and I'm not sure you suggest otherwise but sacks are counted as tackles for loss.

Otherwise I agree with HRE that position of need will be a huge role in which undrafted free agents will make the team.

If I had to guess at this point I would go with Tipa Galaei, Zack Johnson and Stanford Samuels.

Yup, many don't understand the sack = tackle for loss.

Like the Johnson prediction and seems everyone agrees that the #4 edge/olb is for sure one of the best shots.

 

[HardRightEdge]

Once you pencil or pen in your 12 defensive "starters" including nickel corner, and then look at the resumes and NFL experience behind those guys, while considering Clark and King are in contract years, the kerfuffle surrounding not drafting a Day 1 or 2 WR might not be be the most kerfulle-worthy complaint.

Banking on Burks and Jackson making "3rd. year jumps" while they've been going backwards in getting snaps?

 

[tynimiller]

Once you pencil or pen in your 12 defensive "starters" including nickel corner, and then look at the resumes and NFL experience behind those guys, while considering Clark and King are in contract years, the kerfuffle surrounding not drafting a Day 1 or 2 WR might not be be the most kerfulle-worthy complaint.

Banking on Burks and Jackson making "3rd. year jumps" while they've been going backwards in getting snaps?

Yup!! I kept trying to find the DL prospect I had rated the highest in the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th and then 7th round picks because I thought for sure we were going to grab one...did the same thing for LB until we grabbed Kamaal. I also sense we are going to regret not nabbing Troy Pride Jr. or another CB as I strongly feel King is not going to be a resigning priority and has a serious chance of playing his way into an oversized contract elsewhere.

 

[HardRightEdge]

Yup!! I kept trying to find the DL prospect I had rated the highest in the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th and then 7th round picks because I thought for sure we were going to grab one...did the same thing for LB until we grabbed Kamaal. I also sense we are going to regret not nabbing Troy Pride Jr. or another CB as I strongly feel King is not going to be a resigning priority and has a serious chance of playing his way into an oversized contract elsewhere.

Yeah, to my eye King has gotten progressively better each year, finally played nearly a full season, and seems to have gotten over those repeated separated shoulders, though he might still be wearing one harness or both, I couldn't say. If he stays healthy and takes another step in eliminating a couple of deep balls without giving it away underneath then I'd think he'd be in for a decent payday.

 

[tynimiller]

Banking on Burks and Jackson making "3rd. year jumps" while they've been going backwards in getting snaps?

AMEN! Summers, Kamaal OR Barnes I think are going to make Burks disposable.

Darkhorse is Tim Williams might finally catch hold of a chance after coming over from Baltimore last year.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

AMEN! Summers, Kamaal OR Barnes I think are going to make Burks disposable.

Darkhorse is Tim Williams might finally catch hold of a chance after coming over from Baltimore last year.

Unfortunately all of the players listed mostly have a legitimate chance at significant playing time because of a lack of talent at the position and not based on one them being a legit starter at the pro level.

 

[HardRightEdge]

Unfortunately all of the players listed mostly have a legitimate chance at significant playing time because of a lack of talent at the position and not based on one them being a legit starter at the pro level.

Kamal Martin could be a sleeper. He's one of three guys they picked based 2018 tape, with the rationale being he played through injury in 2019. The stated rationale was the same with one of the late round OLs, I forget which. Love, of course was based on his 2018 performace, the rationale for looking past his 2019 issues being a new system and 9 starters turning over on offense.

We'll just have to see how this 2019 and a 1/2 draft approach works out with these guys.