Packers stay busy signing undrafted free agents

GREEN BAY – There’s no going back once the final pick of the NFL draft is made, so the only chance Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst had to address some of the areas he missed with his 11 selections was with undrafted free agents.

Among his signings soon after the draft was completed were a quarterback, four offensive linemen and two tight ends.

The quarterback is Eastern Kentucky’s Tim Boyle, a UConn transfer who played just one season with the Colonels. He was the first true freshman to start at quarterback for the Huskies and wound up playing for three different head coaches.

In 27 games, he threw for just one touchdown with 13 interceptions. 

After a red-shirt year at EKU, the 6-3 ½, 232-pound Boyle completed 61.5% of his passes for 2,134 yards and 11 touchdowns with 13 interceptions in 2017. 

Here are the rest of the signings, obtained via league sources and player, coaches or university Twitter accounts (player’s 40-yard dash time, vertical jump and bench press reps are in parentheses): 

» TE Damon Gibson, Minnesota State – Morehead, 6-3, 240 (4.70, 37 ½, 18). Played receiver in college but could end up being a tight end. Caught 54 passes for 649 yards and three touchdowns last season despite losing four games to injury.

» TE Kevin Rader, Youngstown State, 6-4, 250 (4.92, 34, 17) Rader caught 22 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns in 2017 and 17 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns in ’16.

» OG Jacob Alsadek, Arizona, 6-7, 325 pounds (5.38, 24, 18) Had all the college credentials. Started 46 games and was considered a leader on the offensive line. Lack of athleticism hurt his chances of getting drafted, but he has NFL size. Will need to get a lot stronger.

» C Austin Davis, Duke, 6-4, 301 (5.25, 30 ½, 25) A team captain in 2017, started each of Duke’s 25 games during his final two seasons. At 6-4, 301 pounds, has ideal size for position. A third-team all-ACC selection last year. College teammate of Packers offensive lineman Lucas Patrick. 

» OT Alex Light, Richmond, 6-5, 287 pounds, (5.52, 29 ½, 26) Undersized as offensive tackle but has height to add weight. Played in every game last season, switching between guard and tackle because of injuries on the offensive line.

» OLB Clarence Johnson, 6-foot, 226 pounds. (4.75, 38, 22) Johnson was a first-team all-American Southwest Conference player for the Division 3 Tigers, totaling 10 ½ sacks and 13 ½ tackles for loss.

» OLB Naashon Hughes, Texas 6-3 ½, 259 (4.76, 30 ½, 23) Played defensive end for the Longhorns, but probably will have to play outside linebacker in the NFL. Had 11 ½ sacks in four seasons, including 5 ½ in 2015. Had 30 tackles and 3 ½ sacks in 2017.

» DT Tyler Lancaster, Northwestern, 6-3 1/2, 313 (5.01, 27, 32) Played 39 games past three seasons. In 2017, had two sacks and nine tackles for loss. College teammate of Packers defensive end Dean Lowry.

» DT Filipo Mokofisi, Utah, 6-3, 283 (5.25, 27 ½, 18) Played in 41 games for the Utes and totaled 107 tackles, including 17 for loss and 10 sacks. Played both end and tackle for the Utes, 13 at tackle his senior year. Was honorable mention all-Pac 12.

» CB Chris Seisay, Portland State, 6-1, 197 pounds (4.50, 37, 9) Started career at Oregon before transferring to Portland State for 2016 and 2017 seasons. Started out as receiver at Portland State before transitioning back to cornerback. Played in eight games last season with 24 tackles, five pass breakups and two interceptions, both coming in a game against Montana.

» S Raven Greene, James Madison, 5-11, 197 pounds (4.51, 34, 14) A team captain, started all 15 games at safety as a senior last season. Finished with 82 tackles, including 2 1/2 tackles for loss, five interceptions, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and seven pass breakups. Set James Madison’s all-time career interceptions record with 14.

» ILB Marcus Porter, Fairmount, 6-0, 229 pounds (4.65, 32 ½-inch, 14) Played inside linebacker, totaling 95 tackles, including 12 ½ for loss, three sacks and three pass break-ups. 

»OT Kyle Meadows, Kentucky, 6-5, 301 pounds (5.46, 27, no bench) Started for three seasons at right tackle with the Wildcats, but may be projected as a guard in the NFL. Suspended for one game in 2015 for breaking a team rule. However, he was a mainstay from that point forward, starting 35 straight games to finish his time at Kentucky.

»ILB Parris Bennett, Syracuse, 6-0, 233 pounds (4.81, 31, 11) Second-team all-ACC selection. Had back-to-back seasons with more than 100 tackles, including 115 and a team-high 11 tackles for loss and two sacks in 2017. Undersized linebacker similar to departed Packers dime linebacker Joe Thomas, but not as fast or as gifted physically.