NFC North – Undrafted Free Agents

NFC North – Undrafted Free Agents

The rest of the NFC North had solid if unspectacular drafts, but each team did add some potentially useful players as undrafted free agents. I’ll breakdown of the best of them for each team below. For more info on the Bears undrafted free agents, click here.

Green Bay Packers:

WR Geronimo Allison, Illinois – Stood out as one of the best players at both the NFLPA and Senior Bowl. Allison has ideal size at 6’3, 196 pounds, but is raw and will need to improve his strength and route running if he’s going to make an impact at the NFL level. With his length Allison has a chance to develop into a red zone weapon for Rodgers.

ILB Beniquez Brown, Miss St – Solid run stopper inside who reads plays well, reacts quickly, and attacks the line of scrimmage aggressively. The Packers brought Brown in for multiple workouts, so were clearly high on his potential. He has a chance to contribute early in his career as a 2-down run-stuffer at inside linebacker.

OLB Reggie Gilbert, Arizona – Former defensive end who has slimmed down from 285 to around 260 in order to add quickness off the edge. With a 4.79 40-time Gilbert already has good speed for his size, but playing in the Wildcats unusual 3-3-5 scheme will delay Gilbert’s adjustment to the Packers 3-4 scheme.

Gilbert played most of his snaps with his hand in the dirt, but does have some experience as a stand-up pass rusher. Packers DC Dom Capers is one of the most innovative in the league and will probably find a way to utilize Gilbert’s blend of size (6’3, 261), speed, and productivity (14 career sacks). I expect Gilbert to spend 2016 on the practice squad, but he could become a valuable sub-package pass rusher for the Pack in 2017 and beyond.

G Cory Tucker, Slippery Rock – Four year starter at right tackle who was the leading vote getter for the DII All-American squad and a finalist for the offensive linemen of the year at the DII level. Tucker just seems like a good fit for the Packers line which has been pieced together with players from all over the CFB landscape.

WR Devonte Robinson, Utah St – A raw prospect from a run-heavy offense, but Robinson has some intriguing traits. His size (6’2, 190) and elite speed (4.33) could give Aaron Rodgers an explosive deep threat that they haven’t had in a while.

Robinson wasn’t very productive in college with just 44 catches, 552 yards, and 4 touchdowns over two seasons. He wasn’t used often but did average 16.2 yards per catch last season, so once the ball is in his hands Robinson can do some damage. His route-running and hands still need a lot of work, but he has the speed to stretch the field, the size to win jump balls, and could give Rodgers another dangerous weapon after a few years of seasoning on the practice sqaud.

Others to watch: RB Don Jackson, Nevada; NT Tyler Kuder, Idaho St

Next: Detroit Lions