5 Late-Round Sleepers Who Would Be Perfect for Green Bay

Green Bay Packers fans know all about the draft. It practically consumes their offseason. While teams like the Washington Redskins and New York Jets are typically winners of the free-agent period, general manager Ted Thompson is usually one of the most quiet in the league as far as bringing outside talent is concerned.

His draft-and-develop policy has assisted in this, other than simply the "draft" portion. The staggering of talent at the bottom of the roster allows for "next man up" to take full effect. With talented members on the roster, the Packers are continuously signing their own to long-term contracts, pulling money out of a potential free-agent pool, and creating a need for cheap players who aren't key contributors, such as athletes on their rookie contracts.

Draft week for teams with that mentality, like the current Seattle Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens, is essentially football Christmas. While it's hard to truly predict who is going to "hit" or "bust" after the top 100 is over, these teams seem to have a knack for stealing talent later.

For example, the offensive line that Thompson built to protect for Aaron Rodgers is made up of almost exclusively those selections. David Bakhtiari, the left tackle, Josh Sitton, the left guard, and T.J. Lang, the right guard, were all fourth-round picks. Center Corey Linsley was a fifth-rounder who started as a rookie.

Right tackle Bryan Bulaga was a first-rounder who "slipped" on draft day but is currently a free agent, and some think 2013 fourth-round selection J.C. Tretter can make the move to replace him. Functionally, this is the best offensive line Rodgers has ever had, and the team has somehow constructed it with little more than Day 3 selections, which rarely bear fruit, let alone the top pass-blocking unit in the league, at least according to Pro Football Focus' metrics.

With the draft cycle beginning, it's as good a time as ever to take a look at who may be the future Josh Sitton or Mike Daniels of the squad.

Corey Robinson, OT, South Carolina

David Stephenson/Associated Press

Green Bay has historically had a "type" on the offensive line during the Mike McCarthy era. Typically, their big uglies have been college blind-side tackles who are favorable in zone-blocking schemes but are ambiguous in position.

Even Josh Sitton, the Pro Bowl left guard, was a right guard for a left-handed quarterback in college. J.C. Tretter, who was slated to start at center for the team before an injury, was a college left tackle.

Last season, though, the Packers bucked the trend a little, drafting Corey Linsley, who was a center and guard during his career at Ohio State. Running more man blocks than zone-blocking since running back Eddie Lacy's arrival in Green Bay in 2013, it's possible the team has now changed its mindset on what to look for in a bookend, not just on the interior offensive line.

Corey Robinson is a left tackle who played for South Carolina. He's no game-breaker, but few Day 3 selections are. Robinson is listed on the Gamecocks' official site as 6'8" and 344 pounds.

If the franchise has truly flipped the page from a totally zone-based run game to one which leans on power-based blocking, getting a large body like Robinson on the edge could provide value as a swing tackle. He'll likely get comparison to King Dunlap, who broke out recently in San Diego, as the draft season passes.

Long and strong, he's flexible enough to entertain the idea of playing more than one position, key for a reserve lineman, as there are usually only eight blockers on the roster to fill 10 spots on a team's two-deep. He might be able to give the undersized Tretter a run for his money in replacing Bryan Bulaga, too, if he does find a new home in free agency.

Louis Trinca-Pasat, DL, Iowa

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

At the Senior Bowl, there were two Iowa Hawkeyes representing on the defensive line. One was Carl Davis, who seems to be the talk of the town, landing himself in the first rounds of plenty of mock drafts since the practices on Thursday. The other was Louis Trinca-Pasat, who is about as different as one could be from Davis.

Davis is a large-body player who may be able to give a 3-4 team nose tackle reps at the next level, is a freak athlete and has been hit with critics as someone who takes plays, or even stretches of plays, off. Trinca-Pasat, who came into the Senior Bowl at 6'1" 291 pounds, according to Bryan Perez of Draft Breakdown, clearly isn't a nose tackle type.

Overall, Trinca-Pasat's small stature is his largest knock, potentially limiting him to 3-technique at the next level. What he lacks in size, though, he makes up in effort. He'll run down a running back 20 yards downfield or continue to work his feet and arms against a guard, resulting in a late-in-the-down sack.

Even at practices in Mobile, Bleacher Report's Ian Wharton noticed the defensive lineman putting in extra work while others were taking a break.

"

Deion Barnes and Louis Trinca Pasat are getting early reps while the rest of the DL are standing around.

— Ian Wharton (@NFLFilmStudy) January 20, 2015"

He might be topped out in weight for his frame, but a lot of both the negatives and positives about Trinca-Pasat are the same things said about Mike Daniels, who was a fourth-round pick out of Iowa in 2012. This isn't to compare the two, but to say there's been a history of linear progression from a similar style on the same path in Green Bay.

He's more than likely a rotational pass-rusher early in his career, but with the drive to push on every play, as well as compete in practice against both offensive lineman and his fellow unit, that's what one assumes you'd like coming off the bench.

Brandon Bridge, QB, South Alabama

G.M. Andrews/Associated Press

In a weak quarterback class, Brandon Bridge is about as interesting of a Day 3 selection as there's going to be. Hailing from Canada, the passer first had a scholarship from Buffalo, but it was revoked when Tuner Gill, who was the team's head coach at the time, took the Kansas job.

The quarterback went another route, playing for the FCS' Alcorn State before eventually transferring out after his starting job was lost during an injury. CBS Sports' Dane Brugler had an interview with Bridge, in which he described what occurred afterward.

"

I stayed through my sophomore year and hurt my quad muscle and asked for my release. A week later I received a call from the Mississippi State offensive coordinator, who told me they liked what I did against them and so I had a campus visit. But head coach Dan Mullen didn't pull the trigger. But the coaches there didn't want to see my talent go to waste so they referred me to South Alabama. I enrolled here in spring of 2012 and sat out that season. I was the back-up last year and now the starter in 2014.

"

Before he had even started at the FBS level, he had not only interested Dan Mullen, who coached championship Florida squads as well as a quick-rising Mississippi State team, but also Phil Savage, a former NFL general manager turned Senior Bowl king, who tweeted about him before his junior year kicked off.

"

The South Alabama Jaguars definitely have a QB to work with in Brandon Bridge. He has height, a big arm and the athleticism to develop.

— Phil Savage (@SeniorBowlPhil) July 14, 2013"

Bridge was used in package situations as a deep thrower and run threat in 2013 and opened eyes in 2014. He's as raw as can be, but has the tools of a top-echelon passer at the next level. There's no pressure to move him into a starting role in Green Bay, but if allowed to develop on the bench behind one of the best ever, he could be flipped for a nice draft pick.

Compared by many to Colin Kaepernick, one has to think if he hits his peak, that's a bonus first-round selection.

Ali Marpet, OL, Hobart

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

If you hadn't heard of Ali Marpet before the Senior Bowl, don't feel bad. Most of the draft media didn't until they got down there, either. Whereas Corey Robinson is more of the potential new trend at tackle for the Packers, Marpet is largely what you'd expect from a Green Bay offensive lineman.

The Division III prospect played left tackle in college but is a little undersized to do so as a pro. If this sounds familiar, just look up and down the drafting of interior offensive linemen in the Mike McCarthy era.

Bleacher Report's Ian Wharton reported from Mobile, Alabama that he may even be a first-three-round selection after this week's resume, and that the Packers are allegedly the purpose of his presence down there.

"

Heard from some guys that Hobart OL Ali Marpet is a top-100 lock in the draft now. Packers scouts were responsible for him being in Mobile

— Ian Wharton (@NFLFilmStudy) January 23, 2015"

It's no surprise that the team showed interest. It's been rumored for some time that the scouts will look at any blind-side tackle with 40 or more career starts at the college level, no matter the level of competition. Marpet had 41 at Hobart.

On the radio this week, draft insider Tony Pauline stated the lineman, who will likely have to move to guard at the next level due to his size, had the best technique he had seen in the top senior showcase in the past decade.

"

.@TonyPauline said Ali Marpet had the best technique of a Senior Bowl offensive lineman in ten years on @560WQAM.

— Justis Mosqueda (@JuMosq) January 25, 2015"

Zack Wagenmann, EDGE, Montana

Lido Vizzutti/Associated Press

People seem to attribute every long-haired pass-rusher with Clay Matthews these days. Zack Wagenmann not only has the hair, but he played the part at Montana. He played against a lower level of competition in the FCS, but he produced as well as one could ask for

Against Montana State, in the school's largest rivalry, the team captain went up to bat and came away with a home run, dominating across the board in a 34-7 victory. Flying around the field, his hair recognizably tore down Montana State's quarterback several times, netting him the all-time sacks record for the school.

He's undersized to the point where it's out of the question for him to play as a defensive end in a 4-3 scheme. He probably can't play 3-4 Sam linebacker, either. With Matthews moving to inside linebacker in nickel situations, though, that opens up a perfect rotational opportunity for Wagenmann down the line.

The Packers have decisions to make at pass-rusher. Matthews is locked up, but Julius Peppers' contract is heavy, and Mike Neal and Nick Perry aren't on the books for much longer. At some point in his rookie deal, there's a shot that Wagenmann is only one notch below Matthews on the two-deep at weak-side edge-rusher.

As a player in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, we're not talking about a future Hall of Famer, but he's a solid rotational piece in a defense who can come off the bench and provide pressure with fresh legs. He's proven to do that at the college level, and he could be worth a sixth- or seventh-round pick to assure he's in training camp.