Green Bay Packers Rookie, Free Agent Midseason Progress Report

As the Green Bay Packers season heads into Week 9, it's the perfect time to revisit draft picks and free agents and see how they've performed this season.

While the Packers didn't make much noise in free agency, many believed they had a fantastic draft that hit on many of their overall needs. Now that we've seen these rookies through seven games, it's fair to say that the after-draft assessments weren't that far off.

Let's take a look at the midseason progress report for the Packers rookies and free agents.

Rookie: Datone Jones, Defensive End

Many expected Jones, the Green Bay Packers first-round pick, to step in and make an instant impact on the defensive side of the football. Unfortunately, that hasn't quite happened through the first eight weeks.

In fact, Jones has struggled to even get on the field for Green Bay. The most snaps he's played in a single game is only 23, and he only has 138 total snaps in seven games this year.

While Jones really had difficulties early in the year, it appears as if things might have started clicking for him in recent weeks. He has a total of seven quarterback hurries over the past three games.

One part of Jones' lack of playing time is due to the outstanding play of the defensive linemen ahead of him on the depth chart. However, if he can continue to play at the level he has in recent weeks he should have no trouble getting more playing time.

There is no denying the ability and potential that Jones has. Now he just needs to put it all together to become that player many thought he'd be much earlier in the season.

Rookie: Eddie Lacy, Running Back

If you're looking for the Green Bay Packers rookie of the year so far, look no further than Eddie Lacy. 

Not only has Lacy boosted a ground game that was extremely lacking last year, but he's established himself as a premier running back in this league. Lacy currently has the 13th-most rushing yards in the NFL, and that's with him only playing six games this season. 

As far as overall play is concerned, Lacy is currently graded as the 11th-best running back in the league according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). That's a higher ranking than Arian Foster, Jamaal Charles and Matt Forte.

There's no doubt that Lacy has been one of the best rookies in all of the NFL. He'll continue to become a bigger and bigger part of the offense as the season progresses.

Rookie: Johnathan Franklin, Running Back

There were those, myself included, who thought Johnathan Franklin would overtake Eddie Lacy as the Green Bay Packers starting running back during the preseason. That obviously didn't happen, as Franklin didn't see a single snap in the first two weeks of the regular season.

However, after Lacy and James Starks both got injured, Franklin came in against the Cincinnati Bengals and played extremely well. Yes, he had a game-ending fumble in that game, but that was after he gained 103 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

While Franklin has gone back to being the No. 3 running back on the depth chart, he's still gotten some opportunities, especially in the return game. After a rough start to the season where it looked like he'd make no impact in his first year, Franklin's stock has been on a steady rise for the past few weeks.

Rookie: David Bakhtiari, Offensive Tackle

Few rookies in the entire NFL were thrown into a more difficult situation than David Bakhtiari. The fourth-round pick was thrust into the starting lineup after starting left tackle Bryan Bulaga went down with a season-ending injury during training camp.

Not only has Bakhtiari stepped up when called upon, but he's done a fantastic job at protecting quarterback Aaron Rodgers blindside. He has given up four sacks on the season, but all of them came in the first four games of the season.

While there is still definitely room for Bakhtiari to improve, the Green Bay Packers couldn't really ask for more from a mid-round pick. If he continues to improve at the rate he has these last few weeks, Bakhtiari could end up being one of the biggest steals of the entire draft.

Rookie: Josh Boyd, Nose Tackle

Josh Boyd was the fifth-round draft pick of the Green Bay Packers. While he didn't see the field in any of the first five games, he has seen a little playing time the past two weeks.

He played seven snaps against the Cleveland Browns in Week 7 and three snaps against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 8. Unfortunately, he didn't do anything of note in either of those games. 

There is still plenty of time for Boyd to make an impact this year, but with the way the rest of the defensive line has been playing, it'd be surprising to see Boyd move up the depth chart and increase his snaps.

Rookie: Micah Hyde, Cornerback

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With cornerback Casey Hayward sidelined with a hamstring injury to start the season, Micah Hyde was called upon earlier than the Green Bay Packers would have probably liked. 

While Hyde was as terrible as some other members of the Packers secondary (I'm looking at you Jerron McMillian), he also didn't play great in those first few weeks. However, Hyde has really found a niche for himself these past few weeks.

Against the Cleveland Browns in Week 7, Hyde did a fantastic job covering tight end Jordan Cameron. He has the physicality and athleticism to matchup against the more athletic tight ends in the league.

Where Hyde has made his biggest impact has been on special teams. Last week against the Minnesota Vikings when he returned a punt 93 yards for a touchdown.

As long as Hyde can continue to make big impacts on special teams, he should be a big rookie contributor for Green Bay this year.

Rookie: Nate Palmer, Outside Linebacker

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Nate Palmer is another rookie for the Green Bay Packers that has been called upon due to injuries. With both Clay Matthews and Nick Perry injured, Palmer has seen significant playing time the past two weeks.

He played in more than half of the defensive snaps against the Cleveland Browns and played in all but nine snaps against the Minnesota Vikings. He recorded six tackles against the Browns but failed to get a single tackle in Minnesota.

With Perry and Matthews likely to return in the next few weeks, Palmer will probably spend the rest of the season on the bench getting valuable practice time. He's stepped up when he needed to, but it just doesn't look like he's ready to be an every-down player for Green Bay quite yet.

Rookie: Sam Barrington, Inside Linebacker

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Sam Barrington has only played one snap this season. That came in Week 7 against the Cleveland Browns.

With A.J. Hawk playing some of the best football of his career, it's unlikely that Barrington will see much playing time this season.

Rookie: Myles White, Wide Receiver

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Myles White was an undrafted free agent out of Louisiana Tech who was originally placed on the Green Bay Packers practice squad. However, injuries to wide receivers Randall Cobb and James Jones forced the Packers to promote him to the 53-man roster.

In two games, White has recorded six receptions for 44 yards. While those aren't great numbers, the good thing is that five of those receptions came in the Packers last game against the Minnesota Vikings.

That means White is becoming more comfortable with the offense in Green Bay. If Jones and Cobb continue to miss time, look for White to continue to become a bigger weapon for quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Rookie: Andy Mulumba, Outside Linebacker

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Much like fellow rookie Nate Palmer, Andy Mulumba has been called upon often the first part of the season due to the amount of injuries the Green Bay Packers have suffered.

Mulumba has played in every game this year for Green Bay, with the exception of Week 1. His snaps were increasing on a weekly basis until they came crashing down last week when he only played in 14 of a possible 49 snaps.

He has only 12 total tackles on the year, so it's not like he's making a big contribution when he is on the field. As of right now, Mulumba looks like an ideal player to have on the depth chart at outside linebacker and nothing more.

Rookie: Chris Banjo, Safety

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Like almost every other rookie on this list, Chris Banjo saw playing time early in the season due to injuries. This time it was safety Morgan Burnett who missed the first handful of games with a hamstring injury.

And much like the other "replacement" rookies on this list, Banjo didn't do anything to stand out when he was on the field. Banjo only has nine tackles on the season and also only one pass defensed on the year.

The good news for Banjo is that he's continued to see playing time even with the return of Burnett. As long as he can limit his mistakes, he shouldn't have any trouble staying ahead of Jerron McMillian on the depth chart.

Free Agent: Seneca Wallace, Quarterback

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Seneca Wallace was the only free-agent acquisition the Green Bay Packers had this year.

He hasn't played a single snap this season, which is fantastic news for Green Bay.