The Packers UDFA Prospectus collection
The Leap has collected all available editions of the annual Packers UDFA Prospectus.
Tomorrow, the latest edition of the annual Green Bay Packers UDFA Prospectus will hit subscribers' inboxes. Over the years, the prospectus has become my favorite single project as it takes all the work studying the incoming rookie class as well as the Packers' roster and synthesizes it into a single, annual piece. It also covers some of the most inspirational stories in the NFL: undrafted players who beat the odds by fighting their way into jobs.
The track record of the UDFA prospectus speaks for itself. Since launching in 2013, all but one edition has featured at least one undrafted rookie who went on to secure a spot on the Packers' 53-man roster or practice squad. And that lone exception comes with caveats as the team hoped to bring back two players -- quarterback Taysom Hill and offensive lineman Geoff Gray -- after final cuts. Hill never cleared waivers as the New Orleans Saints snatched him for their 53 while Gray opted for a spot on the New York Jets' practice squad over an offer to join Green Bay's.
Some editions of the UDFA prospectus boast a nearly perfect record. In 2019, two of the four players included (Yosh Nijman and Randy Ramsey) earned jobs outright. A third rookie (Curtis Bolton) had secured a starting job at linebacker before an ACL tear landed him on injured reserve and a fourth (Greg Roberts) spent the season on the physically unable to perform list before moving to the practice squad. Nijman subsequently became a preferred starter along the offensive line.
With that out of the way, The Leap has collected every edition of the UDFA prospectus that remains available on the internet. A few have either fallen victim to link rot or never existed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Moving forward, the web version of this newsletter will serve as a collection for the prospectus series.
-- Jason B. Hirschhorn is an award-winning sports journalist and Pro Football Writers of America member. Follow him on social media: @by_JBH on Twitter / @byjbh@bsky.social on Bluesky / @by_jbh on Threads