2021 UDFA

[NCF]

McGinn seems kind of bullish on Uphoff

Ooo, I like it!! I was disappointed we didn't draft anyone like this and even though his body type isn't that of Chinn, he's still pretty big and probably could get bigger. Crazy how these guys can fall through the cracks with something like that.

[Labrev]

I skimmed through Uphoff's NFL.com scouting report during Day 3 drafting and thought he looked like an interesting prospect. I like the idea of giving him a look.

[YoHoChecko]

I skimmed through Uphoff's NFL.com scouting report during Day 3 drafting and thought he looked like an interesting prospect. I like the idea of giving him a look.

Yeah, our #4 safety spot is wiiiide the heck open (Henry Black?) so it's nice to have someone who might know how to play and can help on STs compete for it.

[lulu]

We will probably at least bring one or two more QB's to camp.

Better ask 12 first...

[YoHoChecko]

We will probably at least bring one or two more QB's to camp.

Better ask 12 first...

I mean they already said they would never enter camp with only 2 rostered QBs and that they had talked to some veterans and were looking at some rookies. Looks like they missed out on the rookie acquisitions, so I'm fully expecting Nick Mullens to be in camp.

[Christo]

I skimmed through Uphoff's NFL.com scouting report during Day 3 drafting and thought he looked like an interesting prospect. I like the idea of giving him a look.

Yeah, our #4 safety spot is wiiiide the heck open (Henry Black?) so it's nice to have someone who might know how to play and can help on STs compete for it.

Just think special teams. A couple of draft picks, Jean-Charles, McDuffie and maybe a UDFA like Uphoff Throw in Amari Rodgers for the return game.
Maybe they can actually hold they're own this coming season.

[YoHoChecko]

Just think special teams. A couple of draft picks, Jean-Charles, McDuffie and maybe a UDFA like Uphoff Throw in Amari Rodgers for the return game.
Maybe they can actually hold they're own this coming season.

Hopefully. It's interesting, I had a whole list of high-quality college ST players with NFL athletic traits that I had figured to be slotted around the 7th round or priority UDFAs because most of them weren't nearly as strong of players from scrimmage--developmental would be kind. But these guys started coming off the board in the 5th and were gone by the end of the 6th.

It was a thin draft class this year. Guys who play STs were draftable a lot earlier than I anticipated. These guys will be ok, but there were some really interesting guys I was hoping to add to the team and of them, only Dicaprio Bootle made it undrafted (signed by the Chiefs)

[Christo]

Just think special teams. A couple of draft picks, Jean-Charles, McDuffie and maybe a UDFA like Uphoff Throw in Amari Rodgers for the return game.
Maybe they can actually hold they're own this coming season.

Hopefully. It's interesting, I had a whole list of high-quality college ST players with NFL athletic traits that I had figured to be slotted around the 7th round or priority UDFAs because most of them weren't nearly as strong of players from scrimmage--developmental would be kind. But these guys started coming off the board in the 5th and were gone by the end of the 6th.

It was a thin draft class this year. Guys who play STs were draftable a lot earlier than I anticipated. These guys will be ok, but there were some really interesting guys I was hoping to add to the team and of them, only Dicaprio Bootle made it undrafted (signed by the Chiefs)

They can only get better, right? Last season, they looked like those old electric vibrating football games we used to play with as kids.
You know, the ones where the players went in all directions except for the place you wanted them to go?

image.png (1.77 MiB) Viewed 441 times

[NCF]

Man, I think this kid has a chance if he can get back healthy.

Get to Know Packers Undrafted Free Agent OT Coy Cronk

Coy Cronk was a 40-game starter at Indiana before missing most of the last two seasons.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Coy Cronk’s in the NFL. It’s just not the way he planned on it happening.

A 40-game starting left tackle at Indiana, his 2019 season ended with a major ankle injury. Given a fifth-year of eligibility, he transferred to Iowa, started at right tackle but missed most of the season after aggravating the injury. He could have come back for the 2021 season but opted out. He went undrafted and signed with the Green Bay Packers.

“I decided six years (of college football) is probably a little too much," Cronk told the Journal and Courier. “I had the opportunity to play a lot of games. It's my time to try to go to the NFL.”

In high school, Cronk was a linebacker in football, catcher in baseball and wrestler. He grew into a 270-pound offensive tackle and chose home-state Indiana among a few offers. As a true freshman, he won the starting job at left tackle and earned Freshman All-American honors. How did he pull that off?

“Bubble gum and Band-Aids,” his father, Nick Cronk, told Hawk Central. “He didn’t know what the hell was going on out there half the time. It was just compete and fight.”

Cronk wound up starting 40 consecutive games. That streak came to a painful halt during the fourth game of his senior season, when he suffered a broken ankle.

“I knew this was not good and my heart just sank,” Hoosiers coach Tom Allen said. “And I was just sick, sick, sick, because I knew pretty much right then it wasn’t going to be a good outcome.”

Carted off the field, the team captain told his teammates: “I just told them to keep going, keep fighting. Don’t worry about me, it’s my leg, I’m not gonna die.” Cronk shifted into he role of the coach and hobbled onto the field for coin tosses.

“It’s hard not to wake up with a smile every day,” Cronk told The Hoosier Network. “I’ve been part of three years of really close losses, two losing seasons, I guess three losing seasons, two years of not going to a bowl game. Those are never fun, but now you just wake up with a smile on your face. Just feel thankful to be part of the program, get to be in the building.”

Given a fifth year of eligibility, Cronk took his diploma and transferred to Iowa, where coach Kirk Ferentz needed a right tackle to replace Tristan Wirfs. Cronk won the job and started the first two games before aggravating the injury and sitting out the rest of the season. He said he could have played in the Hawkeyes’ bowl game but it was canceled.

Cronk measured 6-foot-4 1/8 and 318 pounds with 34 1/4-inch arms at pro day. He did not test at pro day.

Why he’s got a chance with the Packers: The Packers have only three offensive tackles on the roster with starters David Bakhtiari and Billy Turner joined by former undrafted free agent Yosh Nijman. There are plenty of other options, including Day 3 draft picks Royce Newman of Ole Miss and Cole Van Lanen of Wisconsin, but those players might ultimately be better suited at guard. If Cronk can stay healthy and get back to his 2018 form, he’s got a chance.

Here’s a snippet from his NFL Draft Bible scouting report: Battle-tested and experienced, Cronk has been through the ringer and has seen it all. Cronk is a patient blocker who frames well in pass protection, while also doing a solid job maintaining leverage in the run game. However, there are some obvious limitations to Cronk’s game. His physical profile is underwhelming across the board. Length and athleticism could give him a lot of trouble working on the edge.

https://www.si.com/nfl/packers/news/get ... -coy-cronk

[APB]

Man, I think this kid has a chance if he can get back healthy.

Get to Know Packers Undrafted Free Agent OT Coy Cronk

I’m really excited about him and Uphoff. Two UDFA pickups I think have a real shot at not only making the team but having long tenured impact.

[Chilli]

Here's Cronk's tape vs Ohio State in 2019. He is #54 playing left tackle and faced off against Chase Young (#2 Blonde Dredds) a number of times. Despite the loss he does not embarrass himself at all, I thought he mostly held his own and looked fairly steady.

[YoHoChecko]

Here's Cronk's tape vs Ohio State in 2019. He is #54 playing left tackle and faced off against Chase Young (#2 Blonde Dredds) a number of times. Despite the loss he does not embarrass himself at all, I thought he mostly held his own and looked fairly steady.

You're right that he doesn't embarrass himself but it's also not great. I mean, UDFA and Chase Young, I get it. I'm not crushing the guy. But dang, Young made him look silly sometimes even when he was able to stay in the way.

More disappointing, though, was not his effort against Young, which was solid, but how lost he looked when he tried to find targets on the second level or in the screen game. Just total whiffs.

Definitely a worthwhile project for the RT spot. No hate.

But he's got a lot of work to do.

[BSA]

I’m really excited about him and Uphoff.

I'm looking forward to seeing him climb the depth chart; if we get really lucky - somebody beats out Redmond

Amos
Savage
Redmond
V.Scott
H.Black
C.Uphoff

(and maybe Raven Greene and maybe Josh Jackson)

[lupedafiasco]

McGinn seems kind of bullish on Uphoff

Ooo, I like it!! I was disappointed we didn't draft anyone like this and even though his body type isn't that of Chinn, he's still pretty big and probably could get bigger. Crazy how these guys can fall through the cracks with something like that.

Silverstein think Uphoff makes the roster as a core STs player.

[YoHoChecko]

Silverstein think Uphoff makes the roster as a core STs player.

I think he makes the roster as “thank God it’s not Will Redmond,” but same difference

[NCF]

Another nice piece on Cronk.

Did the Green Bay Packers land the best player in undrafted free agency?

Potentially, yes, said one NFL scout.

“I love Coy,” one scout said of Iowa offensive tackle Coy Cronk. “If Coy can get healthy and get back to where he was playing before the ankle injury in 2019, then may be the steal of the college free agency class across the board.”

https://www.si.com/nfl/packers/news/thi ... ree-agency

[BSA]

Another nice piece on Cronk.

Did the Packers invite him to GB as part of official pre-draft visits ? ( didn't see him listed)
I'd think they would have had the top foot/ankle doc check him out as part of due diligence. But maybe they wanted to stay quiet...