Official 2024 Packers UDFA Thread

[Joemailman]

RB Jarveon Howard, Alcorn State, 7.39 RAS, per Cam Marino

OL Donovan Jennings, South Florida, 8.93 RAS, per Aaron Wilson

OT Trente Jones, Michigan, 7.45 RAS, per Jeremy Fowler

TE Messiah Swinson, Arizona State per Jason Hirschhorn

WR Julian Hicks, Albany, 9.18 RAS, per Zach Jacobson

DT James Ester, Northern Illinois per Tom Silverstein

DT Rodney Mathews, Ohio per Tom Silvestein

LB Ralen Goforth, Washington, 7.81 RAS, per Zach Jacobson

LS Peter Bowden, UW-Madison per Tom Silverstein

[jklowan]

surprised to not see these guys signed by the pack...

Blake Watson (http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4361604/blake-watson)
Cody Schrader
(https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4391845/cody-schrader)Drake Stoops
(https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4391845/cody-schrader)Leonard Taylor III
(https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4360282/drake-stoops)Keith Randolph
(https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4431598/leonard-taylor-iii)Gabe Hall
(https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4430349/keith-randolph-jr)Nelson Ceaser
(http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4429731/gabe-hall)Gabriel Murphy
(http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4689686/nelson-ceaser)Julian Pearl
(http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4428080/gabriel-murphy)Garret Greenfield (https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4360391/julian-pearl)

[Fritz]

A couple of those o-linemen have a nice RAS.

Good to have some long snapper competition.

I wish they could’ve signed that linebacker Johnny Multiplie from Idaho.

Who’s on the field in the linebacker spots for the Packers? Goforth and Multiplie!

[Joemailman]

Dolphins signed UDFA CB Storm Duck. I'm jealous.

[Scott Campbell]

I heard that LS Bowden was the consensus best one coming out this year. Seems likely to make the team.

[Bretsky]

BUMMER; this was the guy I predicted GB taking in round 7==info from the 1265 report on facebook

The Packers must really like OL Donavan Jennings from University of South Florida:
They are giving him a $10,000 signing bonus and $100,000 guaranteed (per Aaron Wilson)…
The signing bonus is more than they gave any UDFA last year and they did not give any guaranteed money to an UDFA last year.

[Fritz]

BUMMER; this was the guy I predicted GB taking in round 7==info from the 1265 report on facebook

The Packers must really like OL Donavan Jennings from University of South Florida:
They are giving him a $10,000 signing bonus and $100,000 guaranteed (per Aaron Wilson)…
The signing bonus is more than they gave any UDFA last year and they did not give any guaranteed money to an UDFA last year.

So is it financially more lucrative to be a in-high-demand UDFA or a seventh round draft pick?

[Joemailman]

Jennings was kind of expected to be drafted. Been hurt some last 2 years and will turn 25 in November. That likely hurt him. A Tackle who probably has to move to Guard. He has a real chance. If he got 100,000 guaranteed, that is basically the amount of guaranteed money a 7th round pick received last year.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GLKkBMwW0AAwVKH?format=jpg&name=small

[beveaux1]

So is it financially more lucrative to be a in-high-demand UDFA or a seventh round draft pick?

A high demand UDFA can make a lot more.

[Scott Campbell]

Anyone know the rules on the length of team control for UDFA's?

[ThunderDan]

Anyone know the rules on the length of team control for UDFA's?

It changed a few years ago. I think you can designate one player who cannot get taken no matter what and a couple of “veterans” that have some type of limited protection.

Other than that, I think any team can sign a practice squad player to their active roster.

[smuggler]

I think he means years. I think the first three years are always with the initial team unless released/traded. Two years on the first contract and then ERFA.

[Joemailman]

A player with fewer than 3 accrued seasons becomes an external rights free agent. A player with 3 accrued seasons becomes a restricted free agent. A layer with 4 accrued seasons becomes an unrestricted free agent.

[run pMc]

A high demand UDFA can make a lot more.

Yeah, the signing bonuses plus guaranteed money can be better. Ben Sims got more money from the Vikings as a UDFA (110000) than Carrington Valentine did (~100800) as a GB R7 pick. It's been happening over the last 3 drafts or so, the UDFAs getting as much or more along with control over where they can sign. Theory is it's one reason Gb likes those R7 picks - they have better cost control over the player's contract in many cases.

[Scott Campbell]

Thanks guys. It looks like UDFA's have team control for 4 years, much like round 2-7 picks - as long as the team extends qualifying offers, and the player makes the roster.

[Fritz]

Dear Lord,

Please bring the Green Bay Packers another Sam Shields in this year’s UDFA crop.

Thank you.

[run pMc]

The Donovan Jennings get is a good one. Basically like another R7 pick with the guaranteed money, and probably a better fit than their R6 pick Glover. There's twitter cutups of him holding up to Dallas Turner pretty well.
He'll get a legit shot to make the roster as a backup G-T. Don't know much about the others, although I hear the LS has a decent shot of unseating Orzech.

With all the draft picks they've had in the last 3 years, there aren't a lot of spots for UDFAs left.
Feels like a young roster that is divesting a lot of bloated/cap hell contracts.

[Deputy Nutz]

surprised to not see these guys signed by the pack...

Blake Watson (http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4361604/blake-watson)
Cody Schrader
(https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4391845/cody-schrader)Drake Stoops
(https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4391845/cody-schrader)Leonard Taylor III
(https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4360282/drake-stoops)Keith Randolph
(https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4431598/leonard-taylor-iii)Gabe Hall
(https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4430349/keith-randolph-jr)Nelson Ceaser
(http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4429731/gabe-hall)Gabriel Murphy
(http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4689686/nelson-ceaser)Julian Pearl
(http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4428080/gabriel-murphy)Garret Greenfield (https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4360391/julian-pearl)


I cannot believe Leonard Taylor, Gabe Hall, Greenfield, and Ceasar didn't get drafted.

[Brandon494]

Good read on our UDFAs, I see at least two making the final roster

https://packerswire.usatoday.com/lists/get-to-know-packers-8-player-undrafted-rookie-class-in-2024/

[Joemailman]

Bowden has the best chance. Ester and Jennings have an outside chance.

[smuggler]

Good to see you posting again, Brandon. I like the crop of UDFAs this year. Some of them face quite an uphill battle.

Who was that UDFA WR we had a few years ago who had a pretty nice end to a season and then abruptly retired in camp the next year?

E: Michael Clark (https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/ClarMi00.htm), his "nice end to a season" was relative to his acquisition cost, I suppose.

[Fritz]

I am hoping that Dmitri Stanley gives the wide receiving room a wake-up call that it's not just going to be an easy slide onto the team.

[Joemailman]

I am hoping that Dmitri Stanley gives the wide receiving room a wake-up call that it's not just going to be an easy slide onto the team.

All competition helps. But even without the UDFA's, you're going to have 9 guys (Doubs, DuBose, Heath, McGough, Melton, Reed, Toure, Watson, Wicks) fighting for possibly only 6 spots. It should be very competitive.



,

[Fritz]

All competition helps. But even without the UDFA's, you're going to have 9 guys (Doubs, DuBose, Heath, McGough, Melton, Reed, Toure, Watson, Wicks) fighting for possibly only 6 spots. It should be very competitive.



,

Well, Samari Toure has already used up his "my gosh, he came in with his body completely rebuilt; he looks seriously in shape and ready to make a big leap forward" story last year. He also looked really, really pedestrian early in the year when he had a real chance to make a mark. He looked lost - crummy route running, drops. Same as a returner - some bad drops when he was called upon to go out there and at least catch the damn ball. I have a hard time envisioning a camp in which he's so good he knocks someone else off the roster.

I also see this as a crucial season for Christian Watson. This is season three; the first two were injury-marred. Supposedly he's got some answers to help him solve his hamstring problems. I sure hope so. He brings a dimension to this team no other receiver does. But if he has another injury-plagued year, you've got to start thinking about drafting a speedy, talented receiver to replace him.

Should be fun this year. I'm curious to see how Grant Dubose does. A few Packerrats were high on him before training camp. Then he got smoked - by an injury.