Green Bay Packers: Scouting Report on UDFA CB Will Sunderland

Here is what one scouting report has to say about Green Bay Packers’ UDFA cornerback, Will Sunderland of Troy.

As I mentioned in my most recent scouting report article on running back Patrick Taylor, there are two important factors when it comes to an undrafted free agent making the final 53-man roster or even the practice squad for that matter. The first is their performance, duh, and the second is the position that they play.

When it comes to cornerback Will Sunderland of Troy, that is a position on this Green Bay Packers team that has some question marks when it comes to the overall depth of the unit.

We know what Jaire Alexander and Kevin King can provide on the outside, and the emergence of Chandon Sullivan was a pleasant surprise last season, but it’s fair to wonder if he can duplicate that performance for an entire season.

On top of that, Josh Jackson hasn’t seen much playing time, Ka’dar Hollman is still an unknown, and Kabion Ento was on the practice squad a season ago as a rookie. While the Packers also added DeShaun Amos from the CFL, we don’t know how he will transition to the NFL game.

Enter Will Sunderland who finished his collegiate career at Troy but has a Big 12 pedigree. Sunderland would spend his first two seasons at Oklahoma where he would appear in eight games and total 18 tackles with an interception and a pass breakup.

However, Sunderland had to transfer because of an arrest that led to him being kicked off of the Sooner football team.

While at Troy, Sunderland would play a much larger role over his final two college seasons. He would appear in 24 games, recording 59 tackles, five of which were for a loss, along with 1.5 sacks, five interceptions, and nine pass breakups. He was also a first-team All-Sun Belt honoree in 2019.

At 6’2″ – 194 pounds, Sunderland has excellent size for a cornerback but at his Pro-Day, his 40-yard dash time of 4.51 was just okay and he didn’t test very well in the broad jump, 3-cone drill, or the short shuttle. The result was a below-average Relative Athletic Score of 4.74. Not to mention that as a cornerback, Sunderland’s skill-set is still quite raw.

For a closer look at Sunderland’s game and what he can bring to this Green Bay Packers team, here is what Lance Zierlein of NFL.com had to say about him in his final scouting report prior to the NFL Draft:

"“Former four-star recruit who came to Troy after parting ways with Oklahoma in the wake of the burglary charge. Sunderland is inexperienced as a cornerback and needs to learn the nuances of reading and squeezing routes from both man and zone.Lack of technique from press creates precarious reps and he doesn’t have a recovery gear to make up for deep separation. He has the tools and size for run support but needs to play with committed aggression to entice teams looking at him as either a zone corner or safety.”"

Although there is work to be done, as we’ve seen in the past the Green Bay Packers don’t mind keeping a few additional cornerbacks on the practice squad and as I’ve already mentioned, this isn’t exactly a deep position on this team. So keep your eyes on Sunderland this summer.

All stats via College Football Reference and Troy Athletics