2026 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 2026.

While all NFL teams enjoy some modicum of success with undrafted free agents, few franchises consistently keep 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 that year’s 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 land a job on Green Bay’s 53-man roster or practice squad in 2026.

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. But 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 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 fared particularly well, correctly identifying three undrafted rookies who earned jobs with the Packers. Johnathan Baldwin spent most of the season on the practice squad before signing to the active roster in late December. Jamon Johnson spent all of 2025 on the practice squad but received multiple game-day elevations. Nazir Stackhouse did even better, making the initial 53 and remaining there all year. Though Green Bay released Johnson in April, Baldwin and Stackhouse return to push for roster spots in 2026.

For the latest crop of UDFAs to stick around come the regular season, they’ll have to overcome some roster math. In 2025, the Packers drafted eight players and kept seven between the 53-man roster, practice squad, and reserve lists. Green Bay added another six prospects in the 2026 draft, including two for whom the team traded multiple picks to acquire. The totality of that investment over the past two years will limit the number of undrafted rookies that general manager Brian Gutekunst can retain this season.

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 58.5% of the Packers’ roster. Although that marks a decrease of over 13 percentage points from this time last year, it still ranks as the third-highest such percentage in the NFL. Even with the league expanding the practice squad in recent years and the team’s latest draft class featuring only six prospects, UDFAs will again face long odds to earn a job in Green Bay.

With those qualifiers out of the way, here are the undrafted free agents best positioned to stick with the Packers in 2026.