3 Green Bay Packers UDFAs Who Could Make Roster Push

Green Bay Packers UDFA: Edge Rusher Chauncey Manac

I’m sure you’re sensing a theme here with each of these position groups. There are two or three well-established and oftentimes dominant players with a lot of question marks on the depth chart behind them–and the same goes for edge rusher.

Preston Smith and Rashan Gary both finished top-10 in pressures generated in 2021, but this is a heavily rotated position, and there was a significant dropoff in play against both the pass and the run when those two weren’t on the field.

Jason Rebrovich, the Green Bay OLB Coach, wants a rotation of four players, plus the Packers will likely keep five edge rushers on the roster, which means three roster spots will be available, with two of those likely seeing a decent amount of playing time.

This is a position that could really benefit from a veteran addition in free agency, but if not, Chauncey Manan from Louisiana will have the opportunity this summer to earn a spot on the 53-man.

Manac was on the field for 1,607 total snaps over his four seasons, with a fairly equal split between playing the run and the pass. He recorded 98 pressures and 20 sacks over that span, including two seasons with over 30 pressures, but 2021 was his most productive.

Last season he would tally 33 pressures, 10 sacks, and 14.5 tackles for loss–all of which were career highs. Manac’s PFF run defense grade ranked 24th out of all edge rushers — and again, this is a big area of needed improvement among the Green Bay edge rusher rotation — and his 34 stops ranked 19th. One specific area where Manac will have to be better is in his reliability as a tackler.

Manac spent most of his career lined up as a traditional edge rusher–rarely venturing inside, and he has just 117 total special teams snaps–something that will have to change.

At 6’2″ – 246 pounds, he is a bit undersized, and while his 4.67-second 40-time is impressive for an edge rusher, he struggled in the explosive and agility testing–posting an overall RAS of 3.63.

"“Chauncey Manac has put together a solid four years as a starter at Louisiana and has earned himself a senior bowl invite,” wrote the NFL Draft Bible. “Has a good ability to play against the run consistently and work against blocks. Projects well as a run defender in the league, but his ceiling is capped as a pass rusher. As an older prospect, Manac looks to be a day three pick that could provide depth at the next level.”"