The Green Bay Packers traded up to draft UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley in the fifth round of the NFL draft on Saturday, giving Aaron Rodgers a young backup and the team a project for the future and he joins Damarious Randall and Ty Montgomery as notable picks for Mike McCarthy.
The Packers are often one of the best teams at working the draft, as they do not usually go big in free agency. The team picked Hundley after trading up with the New England Patriots for the 147th pick and now they have a long term prospect they could potentially start or trade down the line. Hundley was predicted as a potential third or fourth round pick and that is one reason why the Packers may have felt like it was a value selection.
Scott Tolzien is currently the backup for Aaron Rodgers and unless Hundley impresses this summer, he likely will keep that job. But moving forward Hundley could carve out a nice spot on the roster and as a future option behind Rodgers. According to Packers.com, the team traded up 19 spots for Hundley after meeting with him and being very impressed at the scouting combine earlier in the offseason.
The Packers picked Randall in the first round and Packers.com reports that the team likely will use the college safety from Arizona State as a cornerback. Most draft scouts had Russell and Landon Collins as the top safeties in the draft and Collins went to the Giants with the first pick in the second round. The Packers also added a wide receiver in Ty Montgomery out of Stanford in the third round and the team said that he's a "bigger version of Randall Cobb."
Montgomery had a strong college career at Stanford and he is considered a smart player on the field when it comes to route running and blocking. Montgomery had 172 catches for 2,125 yards with 15 touchdowns for Stanford and he comes in after also returning kicks. That could be a big role for Montgomery on the Packers, as that could keep Cobb out of harms way on punt returns and he also has experience on kickoffs from his time at Stanford. The Packers have depth at receiver with Jordy Nelson, Cobb, Jared Abbrederis and Jeff Janis, but adding Montgomery is a strong move for the team.
Check here for more on Hundley.
"I love football. It's who I am and what's bred inside me," Hundley said to Packers.com. "I love being quarterback. I can sit there and watch film all day and just learn. I like knowledge. If I don't know something I want to know it."