Green Bay Packers: Early Rookie Progress Reports

The Green Bay Packers have yet to begin their first round of OTAs, so the rookie orientation camp and nonorganized workouts—as well as statements by coaches and staff—are all we have to go on so far to assess the rookies' early performances.

More information about how the rookies are progressing will be available later this week, once the Packers begin OTAs on May 27.

For now, however, ahead of those reports, let's check in on how Green Bay's top five draft selections have been doing in their first month as Packers. These assessments are mostly based on coach and staff feedback but will expand to include performance as the rookies have more opportunities to showcase their talents in organized workouts.

CB Damarious Randall

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Cornerback Damarious Randall hasn't been able to show off many of the skills that earned him a first-round selection by general manager Ted Thompson yet.

A minor ankle injury kept Randall from participating fully in the rookie orientation camp following the draft. 

"It's just kind of a minor ankle injury, and the coaching staff and the training staff—they just wanted to be smart with it," Randall said at the time, per Tom Silverstein and Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He added that he was taking "mental reps" as he watched the other corners run through drills. 

Randall, who could push veteran Casey Hayward for the starting outside job opposite Sam Shields this fall and—if he doesn't win that—could also factor in heavily as the slot corner, will get another opportunity to showcase his skills when the Packers begin OTAs on May 27.

Having been held out of drills during the rookie minicamp will help Randall perform at his best later this week. 

CB Quinten Rollins

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Cornerback Quinten Rollins got off to a fast start during the rookie orientation camp, showcasing the skills that made him an astute pick by Green Bay in the second round of the draft. 

During the minicamp, Rollins came away with the only interception during 11-on-11 drills, per Silverstein and Dunne, intercepting quarterback Brett Hundley and running it back for a score.

"I have my reads, two on the outside, I saw that and I just buzzed back to No. 1," Rollins said. "I just saw the ball coming so I made a play on it, and I was just in the right spot at the right time."

Rollins' athleticism, showcased during his four years playing point guard at Miami of Ohio, is one of his most valuable assets. There will be more noteworthy interceptions in his future. However, he'll have to continue to fine-tune his technique at cornerback, a relatively new position for him after he started his senior year of college.

"Green Bay has a fresh piece of clay," Chuck Martin, football coach at Miami of Ohio, said after the draft, per Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. "He's got really no bad habits. He really doesn't have any habits."

WR Ty Montgomery

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After Day 1 of rookie minicamp, head coach Mike McCarthy was clearly pleased with third-round pick Ty Montgomery's early performance this offseason.

"Very impressed. Obviously, he has a lot of explosion in his body," McCarthy said in a press conference, per Packers.com. "I thought he definitely stood out there today."

Given that special teams will be a special focus for McCarthy in 2015, after he relinquished play-calling in part to help turn the unit around, that explosiveness on Montgomery's part may equate, in McCarthy's mind, to the return game.

Montgomery excelled as a kick returner for Stanford in 2013, averaging 30.3 yards per return (second most in the nation) and two touchdowns.

Overall in his college career, Montgomery averaged 27.4 yards per kick return and 19.8 yards per punt return, the latter of which came solely in his final season.

For his part, Montgomery understands the importance of that role. "I think a good return man has speed, quickness, a will to break tackles and find the end zone," Montgomery said after the rookie minicamp, per Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "There's no second down on special teams, so you can't be complacent. As a return man, you have to be willing to fight."

Special teams coordinator Ron Zook surely perked his ears when he heard Montgomery's comments. They are eerily similar to ones he himself made in February. "I think special teams are always under the microscope, because it’s one play," Zook said, per Mike Spofford of Packers.com. "You don’t get second down and third down on special teams."

Look for Montgomery to continue to try to make his mark as a powerful and fast returner—and receiver—during OTAs.

LB Jake Ryan

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Everyone has been cautious to label fourth-round pick Jake Ryan as the long-term answer at inside linebacker—including Ryan himself.

Ryan joins the majority of Green Bay's current inside linebackers, aside from Sam Barrington (and Clay Matthews, when he has played there), in that he doesn't have any NFL game experience at the position. It's true for Carl Bradford, Joe Thomas, Nate Palmer and Josh Francis.

Still, Ryan is hesitant about publicly vying for the starting job next to Barrington.

"I'm just trying to get my head in the playbook, compete and get out there and show what I can do," he said after the rookie minicamp, per Paul Imig of Fox Sports Wisconsin.

The Packers staff, however, has been a bit more impressed.

“His instincts are something that really stand out,” Eliot Wolf, Packers director of pro personnel, said after the draft, according to Packers.com's Mike Spofford.

“He can get through traffic and make plays on the outside, penetrate and make plays on the inside run. He’s pretty good in coverage. Kind of an all-around guy who adds really good value to our team.”

McCarthy has also taken note of Ryan's potential. Though Ryan hasn't been assertive in his comments off the field, his play tells a different story.

"I like what Jake's done," McCarthy said, per Imig. "He's bigger than I thought he was in person. I like that. He's picked it up clean. Making the calls out there. He's been very assertive. He's off to a good start."

QB Brett Hundley

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The majority of rookie quarterback Brett Hundley's offseason education is yet to come.

However, it will have to wait for now. Though the Packers begin OTAs on May 27, Hundley will be unavailable through May 31 because of the NFL Players Association's Rookie Premier event, per ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky. It's necessitated by the collective bargaining agreement, but McCarthy isn't happy about it.

After he's done with the event, Hundley will take part in McCarthy's quarterback school, an offseason quarterback training program that helped Aaron Rodgers refine his throwing motion and become the quarterback he is today.

McCarthy used to have more time to do this. However, the collective bargaining agreement enacted after the 2011 season cut four weeks from the program due to restrictions on offseason workouts, per Demovsky. 

Still, that experience and the opportunity to learn behind Rodgers will be extremely valuable for Hundley come OTAs and training camp.

According to Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, McCarthy is already excited about the raw talent he has to work with in Hundley.

"Brett has a ton of that," McCarthy said. "He's a tough guy. That stands out. He's athletic."

Hundley left UCLA as the all-time leader in passing, with 11,713 total yards, 75 touchdown passes and 25 interceptions.