The Green Bay Packers and undrafted rookies — they go together like peanut butter and jelly. Or perhaps you prefer lamb and tuna fish? (If you don’t get that reference, then go watch Big Daddy.)
In all seriousness, the Packers love rostering their undrafted free agents more than any other franchise in the NFL. Since the 2005 season, they have broken camp with at least one undrafted free agent on their roster. Last year, they didn’t technically break camp with one, but then proceeded to claim kicker Brayden Narveson on waivers the very next day — so for all intents and purposes, we’re counting it.
The Packers know the value that these types of players can bring to a roster: cheap talent that can help fill out the back end of the depth chart and hopefully blossom into a starter down the road. While not starters running back Emmanuel Wilson and wide receiver Malik Heath are just 2 examples of former undrafted players to play meaningful snaps for the 2024 Packers.
Usually, every season right after the draft, they bring in a large undrafted class, but this year just 10 free agents put pen to paper post-draft to come to Green Bay. A young, controllable roster has a lot to do with that, as does hitting on recent draft picks. Fewer holes to fill means fewer roster spots up for grabs. Even with just 10 undrafted players signed, there are some really good prospects coming to camp in just a few weeks. Three specifically catch my eye as being able to make the roster and perhaps turn into a good player for the Packers down the road.
Jonathan Baldwin – Defensive Back
The Packers gave Baldwin $115,000 in guaranteed money — $15,000 in a signing bonus and $100,000 in salary for the 2025 season — a sign that other teams were interested in his services post-draft. The Packers usually don’t give out large sums of guaranteed money, so they must have really thought Baldwin could make this team. I listed him as a defensive back even though he played cornerback in college because his calling card at the next level is going to be versatility.
Over his four seasons at UNLV, Baldwin played over 700 snaps at free safety, in the slot, and in the box for the Runnin’ Rebels. A player that could be moved all around the defense, he showed a real knack as a blitzer and for making plays in the offensive backfield. According to PFF, Baldwin played a team-high 945 snaps defensively for UNLV in 2024, producing 14 pressures and 27 stops while giving up 39 catches and a passer rating of only 77.3. He seems to me to be a defensive playmaker that Hafley can find a home for, regardless of position.
Seeing how the Packers didn’t draft a corner until the 7th round — and depth behind the top three of Nixon, Hobbs, and Valentine is virtually just as inexperienced as him — he could win a job there. If the Packers wanted to play him more at safety, he could round out that depth chart behind McKinney, Bullard, Williams, and Oladapo. I see two different ways to the roster for Baldwin.
Tyler Cooper – Guard
The Packers love their undrafted free agent offensive linemen. They carried two last season alone — one on the active roster and another on the practice squad in Kadeem Telfort and Donovan Jennings, respectively. With so much potential offensive line turnover on the horizon, Cooper could be their next experiment.
Rasheed Walker, Zach Tom, and Sean Rhyan are entering the final seasons of their deals. While Tom is likely to get extended, Walker and Rhyan are playing for their next contracts this season. Elsewhere along the line, Jacob Monk couldn’t get on the field at all last season, and Travis Glover and Telfort played very poorly in their opportunities. If Cooper impresses, he could be a stashable player for 2025 and find his way to legit playing time in 2026.
Cooper was Dane Brugler’s 28th-ranked guard entering this year’s draft and allowed only five pressures in 2023 and 10 in 2024. What’s most impressive about his time at Minnesota is he committed only four total penalties across 1,325 snaps, virtually all of which came at guard. I was going back and forth on who I thought would be the better fit between Cooper and fellow undrafted lineman J.J. Lippe, but Cooper tested much better athletically with a RAS of 8.43 to Lippe’s 5.67. The Packers love their offensive linemen to have elite athleticism — and that’s what Cooper brings to the table.
Jamon Johnson – Linebacker
The former Georgia Bulldog was a first-team All-American pick in 2022. He produced 24.0 tackles for loss and 13 sacks over 49 games and 35 starts. After suffering an arm injury in 2023, he transferred to Kentucky — where he led the team in tackles and scored a defensive touchdown in 2024.
The Packers’ bottom of the depth chart at linebacker consists of Kristian Welch (who couldn’t make the team in 2024 out of camp) and Isaiah Simmons, who is on his third team since being a first-round pick in 2020. While I think Simmons makes the team, he’s on a one-year deal and likely isn’t in the team’s long-term plans. In fact, only Edgerrin Cooper and Isaiah McDuffie are signed beyond 2025 besides Johnson.
A highly athletic linebacker with a RAS of 8.99, he can bring a sideline-to-sideline skill set if he is able to get on the field defensively. His most likely path to playing time in 2025 will be special teams, where Rich Bisaccia loves to use linebackers. I could see a world where he cuts his teeth as a rookie on teams and works his way into the rotation at linebacker next season.
I was really considering adding quarterback Taylor Elgersma to this list due to the fact that Malik Willis is going to be a free agent after this season and will likely want a chance to start somewhere. If he gets onto the field in 2025 and plays anywhere close to how he did in 2024, then he’s all but certain to be gone. If Elgersma impresses in camp and preseason, would the Packers want to risk losing him on waivers? Ultimately, I think they would — because this roster doesn’t really support carrying three quarterbacks. Elgersma was also sitting out there for a few weeks post-draft before he was signed. It would take a huge performance this summer for him to get claimed elsewhere, in my opinion.