Four Senior Bowl standouts for the Packers

Draft season is upon us and Green Bay has a couple of position groups that could be left bare by the end of free agency. The receiving room may lose both Allen Lazard and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. In addition, the Packers will also need a 3rd edge rusher if either of Preston or Za’Darius Smith don’t return. The tight end group could also lose Marcedes Lewis to retirement and Robert Tonyan to free agency.

Here are a few of the players that helped their stock during the Senior Bowl and could become future Packers.

Jalen Tolbert, WR, South Alabama

South Alabama isn’t the pinnacle of college football, but that didn’t stop Jalen Tolbert from performing well against the best competition at the Senior Bowl. At 6’3” and 195 lbs, Tolbert fits the general size preferences of the Packers’ front office. He has good high-end speed and sticky hands which helped him amass 82 receptions, 1,474 yards, and 8 touchdowns this past year. He was a First-team All-Sun Belt player and was the conference player of the year. He only had a couple of catches for 24 yards in the Senior Bowl itself, but both went for first downs. While he has some issues with acceleration and short-area quickness, he gives the Packers deep speed and a reliable target.

Calvin Austin, WR, Memphis

Calvin Austin is not Green Bay’s prototypical receiver. However, he is the juiced-up, speedy, gadget guy that is missing from the Matt LaFleur offense. He is projected to be one of if not the fastest players in the draft. However, he comes in at 5’7” and 173 lbs. He’s got great hands, tremendous quickness, and elite vertical speed. He could be the guy the Packers were hoping wide receiver Amari Rodgers would be. Green Bay might not be willing to move on from Rodgers so quickly, but Austin has experience returning kicks on special teams, which could tip the scale in his favor as the Packers put a renewed emphasis on the 3rd phase of the game.

Jake Ferguson, TE, Wisconsin

As mentioned in relation to Jelani Woods, one of our Shrine Bowl standouts, the Packers are in an interesting spot with their tight end room. Tight end Josiah Deguara seems to be the only one who is a lock to be on Green Bay’s roster next year. Enter hometown favorite Jake Ferguson.

Ferguson has largely been used as an inline tight end with the occasional moonlighting as a pass-catcher at Wisconsin. He’s never had monster games, but he has produced 30 or more receptions in the last four seasons. He has great hands and was the Senior Bowl’s leading receiver with three catches, 62 yards, and a touchdown. He isn’t a matchup problem when he’s split out, though. He’s a true Marcedes Lewis replacement that can pass and run block while consistently winning 50/50 balls in the red zone and profiting off of the Matt LaFleur scheme underneath.

Kingsley Enagbare, EDGE, South Carolina

It seems unlikely that both of the Smith brothers are back in Green Bay next season. You can never have enough edge rushers, and Enagbare could be in the Packers range. He’s a borderline first-round pick at the moment but had a great week of practice at the Senior Bowl.

He is 6’4” and 265 lbs which gives him some versatility to work as a stand-up end or put his hand in the dirt. He also dropped into coverage at South Carolina. That’s a similar role as what defensive coordinator Joe Barry has asked Preston Smith to do at times. He’s got a great motor but needs some work setting the edge and contributing in run defense.