2025 UDFA Prospectus: Which undrafted free agents are best positioned to stick with the Packers?

The Leap assesses which undrafted free agents have the most favorable path to a spot on the Packers' 53-man roster or practice squad in 2025.

While all NFL teams enjoy some modicum of success with undrafted free agents, few franchises consistently kept as many as the Green Bay Packers. The team famously retained at least one on its initial 53-man roster for 19 consecutive seasons, a streak that technically came to an end in 2024. However, the Packers did add undrafted rookie kicker Brayden Narveson via waivers directly after the cutdown process, so the Week 1 roster still featured a UDFA. If that history provides any indication, one or more prospects who didn't hear their name called during the draft will find themselves with a job on Green Bay's 53-man roster or practice squad in 2025.

As the Packers bring in far more undrafted rookies than they have available spots, projecting which ones ultimately stick around presents a serious challenge. Multiple factors come into play when evaluating UDFAs and their path to success. Certainly, a prospect must possess talent. However, if he plays in a crowded position group, the coaching staff might not provide him with enough opportunities to demonstrate his skill set.

The Packers UDFA prospectus, one of my favorite projects from my time at Acme Packing Company, dates back to the 2013 season. In all but one year, the prospectus featured at least one undrafted rookie who earned a spot on the 53-man roster or practice squad. The lone attempt without a hit came in 2017, though that comes with a sizable asterisk. That prospectus picked two players Green Bay hoped to sneak onto the practice squad: QB Taysom Hill and offensive lineman Geoff Gray. Hill, famously, wound up with the New Orleans Saints as a waiver claim while Gray chose to join the New York Jets' practice squad over an offer from Green Bay.

Last year's prospectus correctly identified two undrafted rookies who earned jobs with the Packers. Donovan Jennings, a versatile offensive lineman, spent the entire season on their practice squad and returns to push for a roster spot in 2025. Green Bay also kept tight end Messiah Swinson on the practice squad, though he spent part of September with the Carolina Panthers.

For the latest crop of UDFAs to stick around come the regular season, they'll have to overcome some significant challenges. In 2024, the Packers drafted 11 players and kept nine of them on the 53-man roster or practice squad. A 10th pick, running back MarShawn Lloyd, spent the majority of the season on injured reserve and non-football illness list. Green Bay selected another eight players this past month. The volume of picks in back-to-back years limits the number of undrafted rookies that general manager Brian Gutekunst can retain in 2025.

And those figures illustrate only part of the personnel logjam. According to Over the Cap, players on rookie contracts -- those with three or fewer accrued seasons -- make up 71.7% of the Packers' roster, the highest such percentage in the NFL. Even with the league expanding the practice squad in recent years, Green Bay's latest undrafted rookies have fewer opportunities than most of their predecessors.

With those qualifiers out of the way, here are the undrafted free agents best positioned to stick with the Packers in 2025.