Green Bay Packers: 3 UDFAs Who Could Make Roster Push
By Paul Bretl
The Green Bay Packers have a rich history of finding undrafted rookies who eventually become big contributors on this team–with the most recent example being Krys Barnes a season ago. But admittedly, it appears that it’s going to be tougher than what it usually is — and it’s already an uphill battle — for anyone from the Packers 2021 UDFA class to make the final roster.
For starters, this is a Packers team that made it to the NFC Championship Game and is returning a large number of their players from 2020. Green Bay went into the draft with already 72 of their 90 roster spots accounted for. As a result, because so many roster spots were accounted for, the Packers would sign just seven UDFAs.
Going from UDFA to the 53-man roster is never easy, but this year there appears to be even less opportunity. However, that doesn’t mean it can’t happen. And of the Green Bay Packers post-draft signees, any one of these three players could end up making a roster push.
Green Bay Packers UDFA: Jack Heflin – IDL
Why could Heflin make the final roster?
The big reason that I believe Heflin could make a roster push is because of the state of the Green Bay Packers’ IDL position–even with the addition of TJ Slaton in Round 5, they still lack some real depth. We know that Kenny Clark and Kingsley Keke will be there, and while Green Bay could clear more cap space by cutting Dean Lowry, they really aren’t in a position where they have that luxury to move on from him. So after those three, there are a few spots up for grabs.
I wouldn’t call Tyler Lancaster a lock to make this roster by any means, and although there is plenty to like about Slaton, his game is still a bit raw, and development is needed. Meanwhile, Anthony Rush, Willington Previlon, and Delontae Scott were all practice squad players a year ago. It will of course take a strong showing from Heflin in camp, but the opportunity is there.
Heflin’s college career
The 6’4″ – 319 pound Heflin spent three years at Northern Illinois before transferring to Iowa for the 2020 season. He is known more as a run defender than a pass-rusher and primarily lined up in the B-gap during his college career.
This past season which included 358 snaps over eight games, Heflin tallied 13 pressures, a sack, and 3.5 tackles for loss. His run defense grade from PFF ($$) ranked 76th out of 200 eligible interior defensive linemen.
What the pre-draft report says about Heflin
"“Self-made interior lineman who began his career as a walk-on and finished as a four-year starter with his final chapter at a Power Five program. Heflin is low-cut and country strong with a wide frame carrying short arms. He’s capable of handling himself in one-on-one scraps with his quick hands and strength at the point of attack, but doesn’t have the technique to deal with double-teams just yet. He can bend and move, but struggles to make plays through block engagements. He is going to play hard as a rusher, but lacks NFL traits to make much of a difference in that category. His size and strength give him a puncher’s chance, but it’s tough finding a clean positional fit for him.” — Lance Zierlein, NFL.com"