Packers dominating the free agent market!!

[Patler]

Interesting SI article with stats on the Packers success with low round draft picks and undrafted free agents:

• At the end of last year's injury-marred season in Green Bay, 27 of the players on the Packers' 53-man roster (more than half) came to the team either as a sixth- or seventh-round pick, or via the undrafted route. Twenty of those were undrafted. All told, 69 of the 90 players who went to training camp last year with Green Bay wound up appearing somewhere on an NFL regular-season roster at some point during 2013, according to the Packers.

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl...#ixzz33eGRfKFk

[Smidgeon]

Interesting SI article with stats on the Packers success with low round draft picks and undrafted free agents:

I read the article and had an interesting thought: considering how much we value high draft picks, how uncommon is it for a talented, starting tandem (in our case CBs) to be undrafted? I can see one of a pair sticking, but two? That seems highly unlikely. The only pair I can think of that would seem likely would be starting guards. But offensive tackles, wide receivers, safeties, outside and inside linebackers all seem like the premium talents come in the draft.

[Guiness]

I read the article and had an interesting thought: considering how much we value high draft picks, how uncommon is it for a talented, starting tandem (in our case CBs) to be undrafted? I can see one of a pair sticking, but two? That seems highly unlikely. The only pair I can think of that would seem likely would be starting guards. But offensive tackles, wide receivers, safeties, outside and inside linebackers all seem like the premium talents come in the draft.

It is pretty impressive that both the Pack's starting CBs entered the league undrafted. I don't know for sure, but I doubt any other team has done that, at least in the last 15 years or so. Seems to me we see a fair number of CBs drafted in the first round, five of them this year.

Top CBs are highly prized, as evidenced by their franchise tag numbers. This year, they were the 4th highest tag, just 500K behind WRs at 3. 2013, they were 3rd highest, and '12 tied with DEs for second.

[woodbuck27]

Interesting SI article with stats on the Packers success with low round draft picks and undrafted free agents:

"It's just been a part of our education in the personnel department,'' Thompson said.

"Most of us were hired here in Green Bay by [former Packers GM] Ron Wolf, and he took that approach as a particular challenge, trying to find those guys in [collegiate] free agency was always a part of it. We're just disciples of it and we try to continue that mindset."

"Everybody loves their first-rounders and their second-rounders, but our coaches are very good with this approach, and that's maybe not always the case [with other teams]. Whoever we give them, they coach them up. We tell guys when we sign them or put them on the practice squad, 'You're here for a reason and everyone will get their chance to play.' Our veteran players and our team, they accept that. They know that's how it works here.''


GO PACK GO !