Every year the Packers always find an undrafted gem who latches onto the 53-man roster out of training camp. Raven Greene and Allen Lazard are two of the most recent examples (though I know Lazard was technically released to the practice squad then brought onto the active roster.) If we look beyond the current roster, players like Sam Shields and Tramon Williams went on to have successful, Super Bowl-winning careers with Green Bay as undrafted players. 

This is a strong undrafted free agent class for the Packers, but a lot of guys will have uphill battles in camp already playing at positions with a ton of depth. Here are four players, including one honorable mention from last season, with good shots to latch onto the 53 out of training camp.

Stanford Samuels III (CB)

Stanford Samuels III out of Florida State is a player many expected to get drafted. At 6-1, 187lbs, he’s got the desired size of an NFL cornerback. His 4.65 40-yard dash may have contributed to his slide into undrafted free agency, but there’s a lot to like in his game. 

In his three years at FSU, Samuels tallied 145 total tackles with eight interceptions and 16 passes defensed. He plays with physicality and performs well in man coverage, with great hands and ball-tracking ability. 

Samuels enters training camp at a position with a lot of uncertainty. While Kevin King is the veteran in the room with three seasons under his belt, he’s also entering a contract season and becomes a free agent in 2021. After King and Jaire Alexander, Chandon Sullivan, Josh Jackson, and Ka’dar Hollman round out the starting five. While Sullivan, Jackson, and Hollman have all shown flashes, with Sullivan in line for significant playing time in 2020, there’s still an opportunity for a guy like Samuels to crack the roster, especially with a strong training camp and preseason. 

Darrell Stewart (WR)

The Packers may not have drafted a wide receiver, but they did sign one in undrafted free agency. In fact, Stewart is the only receiver the Packers brought in to round out the 10-man room. 

The 6-0, 212lb Michigan State receiver offers a more traditional option in the slot for Green Bay. In his four-year career, Stewart had 150 receptions for 1,640 yards and seven touchdowns. He also brings special teams experience to the table, having returned kicks in college. 

Behind Davante Adams, the rest of the receiving corps feels pretty up in the air. While we can fully expect Devin Funchess and Allen Lazard to make the roster, with Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown also penciled in as the groups’ top five, there will be opportunities for Stewart and the rest of the receivers in the room competing for what’s likely a sixth and final spot.  

Stewart’s flexibility in the slot could give him an advantage here, with the Packers opting to keep Darrius Shepherd (who’s also competing for a roster spot) over Allen Lazard on the initial 53-man roster out of camp, largely due to his abilities in the slot and on special teams. 

Patrick Taylor (RB)

Taylor is an intriguing backfield option as he’s not the prototypical size for a running back at 6-2. At Memphis, he averaged 5.4 yards per carry and had 36 touchdowns, with 2,884 total yards. 

While Aaron Jones, Jamaal Williams, and second-round draft pick A.J. Dillon claim the top three spots in the backfield, it’s possible Matt LaFleur could try to keep as many as five backs on his roster, especially with the varying skill sets offered by each player. 

Taylor has special teams experience as well which helps his roster candidacy initially, but he also has some potential as a pass-catching back, hauling in 55 receptions for 434 yards and three touchdowns at Memphis. Taylor is already a fan favorite on social media, so keep an eye out for him come training camp. 

Willington Previlon (DL)

Willington Previlon out of Rutgers enters training camp at perhaps the weakest spot on the roster as far as depth is concerned. Behind the powerhouse Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry, and second-year player Kingsley Keke, there’s a lot still unknown as far as the position group is concerned. Montravius Adams has yet to take the leap many expected him to, and while Tyler Lancaster is a serviceable nose tackle, the run defense left much to be desired in 2020. Clark needs a lot of help along the interior. 

Previlon tallied 70 total tackles in three seasons at Rutgers, posting 11.5 tackles for a loss and 4.5 sacks with three passes defensed. He was named an honorable mention All-Big Ten and won both the Homer Hazel Award as Rutgers’ most valuable player, and the David Bender Trophy as the team’s top defensive lineman. His path to the 53 is a daunting one since the Packers don’t traditionally keep a ton of defensive linemen on the roster, and most of the spots are already claimed, but at a position of need that also didn’t see any draft selections, Previlon could earn some immediate opportunities in camp. 

Honorable Mention: Kabion Ento (CB)

Ento gets an honorable mention here as an undrafted free agent in 2019 who had a strong preseason and spent all of the 2019 season on the team’s practice squad. A wide receiver in college, Ento transitioned to cornerback with Green Bay (which of course is reminiscent of a cornerback at the beginning of this piece, Sam Shields.) Ento has great hands, which should be expected of a wide receiver convert, and nice size at 6-1 to play the corner position. 

With the Packers opting not to bring Tramon Williams back, at least not yet, Ento is another corner to keep an eye on come training camp. His season of experience on the practice squad helps his case here as he looks to make a jump in year two. He played well in the preseason and it felt like he just missed the 53-man roster initially in 2019, so with the uncertainty in the room this offseason, he’s got a great opportunity in front of him to build off of last season’s strong training camp.