05-12-2018, 03:06 PM
Interesting Excerpts from a McGinn article on the undrafted free agent class...Green Bay ended up with what appears to be a ho-hum collection of talent. Long a leader in production from free agents, the Packers’ 14-man contingent seems down in quality from previous years.
“Nothing exciting about this group,” an AFC executive in personnel said. “A low-budget accumulation.”“Lot of small-school guys,” the executive said. “It’s a pretty average group overall.”
The breakdown of the 14 shows eight from major programs (FBS), four from FCS programs, one from NCAA Division II and one from NCAA Division III.
Last week, the Minnesota Vikings released a list of 17 rookie free agents that had agreed to terms. The Vikings (13-3 in 2017) are the team that the Packers (7-9 in ’17) must catch in the NFC North Division.
Of the Vikings’ 17 undrafted players, 14 came from FBS programs and three from FCS. I had discussed nine of the 17 with scouts.
Holton Hill of Texas was my No. 12 cornerback, Tray Matthews of Auburn was my No. 13 safety, Roc Thomas of Jacksonville State was my No. 14 running back, Hercules Mata’afa of Washington State was my No. 21 edge rusher and Garret Dooley of Wisconsin was my No. 25 edge rusher. I also had asked scouts about wide receivers Jeff Badet of Oklahoma, Korey Robertson of Southern Mississippi and Jake Wieneke of South Dakota State, and defensive tackle Curtis Cothran of Penn State.
How did the Vikings secure so many of the better undrafted players to join them?
“They bought them,” said a source familiar with the Vikings’ financial practices. “They guaranteed money on the base (salary).”
Rob Brzezinski, the Vikings’ executive vice president of football operations and lead contract negotiator, guaranteed portions of the base salaries for all five players whose contract data was available. Those guarantees were $35,000 for Robertson, $30,000 for Dooley, $15,000 for Cothran and $10,000 each for Badet and defensive end Jonathan Wynn of Vanderbilt.
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