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Today, Acme Packing Company continues with our look at the Green Bay Packers’ 2016 roster rankings. In this edition, we continue our look down the roster at a group of players who likely will be fighting for practice squad spots or the last few slots on the 53-man roster.
Eight of the players in today’s group of ten are undrafted free agents signed this offseason; the other two were acquired in 2015 as rookie free agents and spent time on Green Bay’s practice squad.
Here’s our look at players 70 through 61.
70: WR Geronimo Allison
This undrafted rookie from Illinois possesses a tall, lanky frame at 6’3” and 202 pounds, and he had decent success as one of the Illini’s top receivers in his two years in Champaign. Of course, he’s stuck behind a logjam of more experienced options at receiver, but his size makes him one of the more intriguing players among the players battling for a practice squad spot.
69: WR Herb Waters
Like Allison, Waters is stuck fighting for a place on the practice squad. What Waters lacks in size (6’0”, 188), he makes up for in explosiveness with a 38” vertical and 6.73-second cone time at Miami’s Pro Day. He didn’t match Allison’s numbers, but Waters played in a Miami offense that had more players catching the football.
68: DE B.J. McBryde
McBryde possesses the most ideal body type for the 5-technique position of anyone on the roster save fourth-round pick Dean Lowry. The 6’5”, 303-pounder was added to the Packers’ practice squad last November and has stuck around since with an outside chance of making a run at a roster spot.
67: RB Don Jackson
One of the Packers’ first reported undrafted free agent signings after the draft, Jackson will be competing with Burks and John Crockett for the third-string running back job. He projects athletically similar to Crockett, but has neither the college production nor the size of the more experienced back as Crockett has almost two inches and 15 pounds on the smaller Jackson.
66: ILB Beniquez Brown
A linebacker on the smaller side at 6’1” and 236, Brown will need to demonstrate that he has an ability to take on blockers or that he can excel in pass coverage in order to make the team. He has a stronger pedigree than and ten pounds on last year’s dime linebacker, Joe Thomas, and he was an effective blitzer in college as well. Look for him to push Thomas and Carl Bradford for the fourth inside linebacker job in camp.
65: P Peter Mortell
The self-proclaimed Big Ten Holder of the Year for 2015 is a Green Bay native and lifelong Packers fan. He also provides Tim Masthay with his strongest competition since the Ginger Wolverine won the job in 2010 and is no stranger to punting in cold conditions, having played at the University of Minnesota. And unlike Cody Mandell, who pushed Masthay a few years ago, Mortell’s holding skills should not be a concern.
64: S Marwin Evans
An Oak Creek High School product, Evans has good speed (4.47 40 at Pro Day) and explosiveness (42” vertical) for a safety. He contributed all over for Utah State - coverage, run support, and pass rush - after moving from cornerback as a junior. He could make for an intriguing option as a slot defender and backup safety.
63: CB Robertson Daniel
After spending training camp with the Packers last summer and sitting on the practice squad throughout 2015, Daniel should be plenty familiar with the Green Bay defense. A college safety, Daniel is a project for Joe Whitt, who seems to enjoy working with raw players who have more of a clean slate of skills to work from. If he has figured out what type of corner he wants to be, he should be in the competition for one of the backup spots on the roster.
62: CB Josh Hawkins
Running a sub-4.40 40-yard dash is Hawkins’ biggest strength, as the undrafted free agent lit up his Pro Day. However, he was making plays with the second-team defense during minicamp and has a good nose for the football. He’ll be right there with Daniel in the fight for a job, and should have a good chance at making the practice squad if he does not land on the 53-man roster.
61: OLB Reggie Gilbert
Gilbert moves from being a 4-3 end in college to a stand-up outside linebacker, like so many Packers have done before him. He also brings proven college production as a pass-rusher, recording at least three sacks in each of his four years. However, he may be squeezed out of the fight for the active roster in camp, with so many veterans ahead of him, and could look to develop on the practice squad.