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Projecting the first-year impact of rookies presents any number of challenges. That becomes even more difficult when one suffers a serious injury such as Green Bay Packers' fourth-round pick Vince Biegel's fractured fifth metatarsal.
On the other side of the spectrum, wide receiver Malachi Dupre has a cluttered path to a spot on the 53-man roster, but the prospect of finally playing with capable quarterbacks offers some optimism that he can beat the odds afforded to the typical seventh-round pick.
Check out these items on these players and more in today's curds.
Vince Biegel's feel-good story with Packers takes a hit after foot surgery | ESPN
While the news of Biegel's foot surgery first surfaced on Monday, ESPN's Rob Demovsky paints a less-than-rosy outlook for the first-year edge rusher's recovery. The fracture Biegel suffered has a high re-injury rate, and the medical staff might hold him back as a precaution. Just a few weeks of training camp missed could prove the difference between a productive rookie campaign and a de facto redshirt season.
Malachi Dupre prepared for tough competition | Packers.com
At one point, Dupre seemed likely to become an early round draft choice. However, a dearth of quality quarterback play at LSU and the firing of long-time head coach Les Miles negatively affected Dupre's final season in Baton Rouge. Now with the Packers, the young wideout has to break through a logjam at the position in order to stick around. Perhaps with Aaron Rodgers and Brett Hundley throwing him passes, Dupre's talent can finally shine through.
Though the Packers traded up for Jason Spriggs during the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, Kyle Murphy actually appears to have the stronger shot at playing time. The team views Spriggs only as a tackle despite the fact he appeared at guard during multiple games last season as a fill-in for injured starter T.J. Lang. Conversely, Murphy might have a future inside. If he can unseat the recently signed Jahri Evans and veteran Don Barclay, Murphy could start in 2017.
Specialists are a strange business | Packers.com
In his mailbag, Packers.com writer Mike Spofford speculates that while long-snapper Brett Goode doesn't currently have a spot on the 90-man roster, he could once again rejoin the team at the start of the regular season. Not only did Green Bay sign Goode just before Week 1 last year, but they also did the same at punter, acquiring Jacob Schum after final cuts.