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“Blowing in the Wind” (CC BY 2.0) by tuchodi
From draft and develop to their loyal fan base, the Green Bay Packers have a reputation for more than just winning. Not the least of these things is their desire and ability to turn undrafted players into starters. As a result, Packers fans have more than just 7 or 8 drafted players to be excited about. For that reason, we’ll take several days to outline each of the Packers current UFA players. What are the pros, cons, and chances of making the team?
To see other UDFA write-ups, click here.
Overview
A University of Manitoba tackle, Geoff Gray is the second lineman we’ll feature in our UDFA series. Listed as a guard on the Packers roster, the 6’5 315 pound lineman would be the biggest man inside if the Packers did decide not to kick him outside.
At 6’4 315 pounds, Gray is fairly close in size to the one and only T.J. Lang, now with the Detroit Lions. A much closer comparison would be the 6’5 314 pound tackle, Brian Bulaga. They were also similar in their bench and 40 times with Gray running the 40 in 5.34 seconds and putting up 25 reps on the bench.
Gray played 4 seasons at right tackle and guard for the Manitoba Bisons missing exactly 0 games.
Pros/Cons
In regard to the negatives, some tend to have a low opinion of Canadian football. Not only does it require a massive leap from college to professional, but Gray will essentially have to learn a new sport.
Beyond that, the overall talent in Canadian football is seen by many to be very low. Perhaps somewhere in the DII level.
In other words, Gray is an elite player when going against lower level competition playing a slightly different sport. Take it for what its worth.
As a positive, as you may have guessed, Gray is a mean guy. I’ve mentioned a few times now the Packers seeming desire to be a more physical team focusing heavily on big mean offensive lineman and running backs that like to crack skulls. Gray fits that mold.
One scout put it this way, “Aggressive to a fault. Likes to wear defenders out during a game.”
Gray is also extremely durable, not missing a single game in college. The value of that alone is worth looking into.
Chances of making the team
In general, Gray’s chances of making the roster are similar to the odds Thomas Evans has. He’s an undrafted player on a team in need of lineman but on a team that has invested heavily in the position through free agency, the draft, and signing 3 UDFA’s.
Still, I tend to like Gray’s chances a little more than Evans’. For one, the versatility to play guard and tackle is a huge asset that I’m not sure Evans can also bring.
Gray was also given a 6th round grade by the Packers and likely fell only because of the large amount of question marks surrounding his ability to move from Canadian college football to the NFL.