GREEN BAY, Wis. -- If you're looking for a hidden gem among the Green Bay Packers' class of undrafted free agents, perhaps it's Alabama outside linebacker Adrian Hubbard.
He was fourth on the ESPN Insider list of top undrafted players
and was described this way:
"Hubbard has intriguing length, athleticism and versatility as an edge defender. However, on tape he was a bit finesse at the point of attack, and his motor ran hot and cold at times, which likely caused him to go undrafted."
Hubbard told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he believed the reason he went undrafted was because of a minor heart abnormality from which his own doctors cleared him.
The 6-foot-6, 257-pound Hubbard could not have signed with the Packers without their medical clearance. Given that Hubbard's name showed up on Monday’s official NFL transaction wire as one of the Packers' 12 signings, it means he passed the team's physical.
Hubbard started two seasons at Alabama but declared for the NFL draft with one year of eligibility remaining.
He was invited to the combine where he did most of the tests except for the bench press because of a deltoid strain. He posted a 40-yard dash time of 4.69 seconds and his vertical jump of 38.5 inches was tied for second best among the outside backers at the combine behind only Buffalo's Khalil Mack, a first-round pick.
The Packers have a strong history of success with undrafted free agents. In the last four years, they have kept at least three undrafted rookies coming out of training camp.
By waiving first-year linebacker Chase Thomas and adding the 12 undrafted rookies, the Packers roster stood at 86 as of the close of Monday's NFL business. That leaves them with four open roster spots, some or all of which could be filled from among the 20 or so tryout players expected to take place in this week's rookie orientation camp.
Here's the full list of the 12 undrafted rookies the Packers signed on Monday:
Jake Doughty, LB, Utah State
Jay Elliott, LB, Toledo
Carlos Gray, DE, North Carolina State
Adrian Hubbard, OLB, Alabama
Jordan McCray, G, Central Florida
Rajion Neal, RB, Tennessee
Mike Pennel, DT, Colorado State-Pueblo
Justin Perillo, TE, Maine
LaDarius Perkins, RB, Mississippi State
Chase Rettig, QB, Boston College
Joe Thomas, LB, South Carolina State
Ryan White, CB, Auburn
