5 Dark Horse Candidates to Make Green Bay Packers' Final 53-Man Roster

In case Katy Perry hasn't already solidified the term in the lexicon, a dark horse in the broadest sense is a little-known contender in a competition who performs unexpectedly well. 

The Green Bay Packers have numerous dark horse players on their roster—players who could survive final cuts despite being unlikely bets. Perhaps the players are former undrafted free agents, or undrafted rookies, or on the bubble despite being on the roster in the past. 

Performances at training camp can and likely will muddle all these pre-camp projections, but for now, let's break down five borderline players who did enough in the offseason so far to earn consideration for the final 53-man roster.

These players aren't necessarily being projected to make the team, but they will certainly make a push. 

LB James Vaughters

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

Of the undrafted-rookie linebackers currently on the Packers' offseason roster, Tavarus Dantzler perhaps has the best chance of making the final roster since he can help out on the inside. 

However, it would be a mistake to count out Stanford rookie James Vaughters. 

Vaughters had a strong senior year, with 51 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. He had another four sacks as a junior. Vaughters played inside linebacker occasionally, but coverage appears to be one of the weaker aspects of his game, as the tape shows. 

Though he's strong at 6'2" and 258 pounds, scouts worried about Vaughters' athleticism, specifically his lack of fluidity when changing direction and ability to disengage, per NFL.com's Lance Zierlein. 

However, Vaughters looked good as a run-stopper and a rotational edge rusher—the latter being a position the Packers might find soon themselves thin at given Julius Peppers' monster cap hit next season. He might also have a chance due to Nick Perry's disappointing performance and Mike Neal entering free agency at the end of the 2015 season. 

Vaughters had an impressive day during the minicamp when he tipped a Matt Blanchard pass for an interception, per Paul Imig of Fox Sports Wisconsin.  

For Vaughters to make the roster, he'll have to do well enough in training camp to displace someone like Adrian Hubbard. After all, there are only so many spots for linebackers to go around. 

RB John Crockett

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We know the Packers will keep at least three halfbacks on the 53-man roster. 

What won't be known, however, until after training camp is who will fill that No. 3 spot. With his experience in the offense as a practice-squad holdover, Rajion Neal may be leading the race now, but expect undrafted rookie John Crockett to make a strong push during camp. 

Crockett had three consecutive seasons of 1,000-plus rushing yards at North Dakota State. Last season, he set school records for all-purpose yards (2,419), rushing yards (1,994) and rushing attempts (368). He was courted by 20 other teams after he went undrafted, Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported at the time. 

At least one of those teams could still be interested, which would make it hard for the Packers to place Crockett on the practice squad. 

On the first day of the mandatory minicamp, Crockett injured his ankle and dropped out of practice, as ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky reported at the time. But the running back expects to be "ready to go when the time comes," per Packer Report's Bill Huber.

WR Ricky Collins

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Assuming the Packers keep six wide receivers on the 53-man roster, those players are essentially already locked in—right?

There's Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Davante Adams, Jeff Janis, Ty Montgomery and Jared Abbrederis. 

One, two, three, four, five, six.

Well, at least two Packers writers think that undrafted rookie Ricky Collins could claim one of those six spots: Brian Carriveau of 247Sports and Cheesehead TV's Aaron Nagler. 

That's a crowded group at wide receiver, and while it's almost a guarantee that one of the undrafted rookies (Collins is joined by Adrian Coxson, Jimmie Hunt, Larry Pinkard and Javess Blue) will land on the practice squad, could Collins really push out Abbrederis to make the roster?

ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky reported recently that "Abbrederis could be in trouble." If he wants to lock down that sixth spot, he'll need to step up in camp. 

Collins didn't receive an invitation to the NFL combine, but he had a pre-draft visit with the Packers. His 4.49-second 40-yard dash at his pro day impressed the team, per Paul Imig of Fox Sports Wisconsin.

In his senior year at Texas A&M-Commerce, Collins had 44 receptions for 1,053 yards and 13 touchdowns.

S Jean Fanor

MIKE ROEMER/Associated Press

The Packers have an impressive group of defensive backs on their roster who display athleticism, a nose for the ball and playmaking ability. 

However, it will also take discipline and nailing down the technique to make the final roster. 

Could practice-squad holdover Jean Fanor round out a safety group also expected to include Morgan Burnett, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Sean Richardson and Micah Hyde?

It's possible, per ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky. "Fanor, a practice-squad player last year, has a nose for the ball, too," Demovsky wrote in a recent roster projection. 

The wild card here that could create some room for Fanor is Hyde. If Casey Hayward moves to the outside, Hyde may step into the nickel cornerback role. If he's technically included in a cornerbacks group that includes Sam Shields, Hayward, Damarious Randall, Quinten Rollins and either undrafted rookie LaDarius Gunter or Demetri Goodson, there's room for Fanor to sneak in at safety. 

Fanor had two interceptions so far this offseason, per Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette: one against Matt Blanchard during minicamp and one against Brett Hundley during OTAs. That is a quantifiable plus in his column heading into training camp. 

LB Joe Thomas

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The inside linebackers group currently on Green Bay's offseason roster is both inexperienced and crowded, which means cuts are coming. 

Sam Barrington and rookie Jake Ryan are locks, and Clay Matthews will be spending time inside, as well. But after those players, who else makes the cut?

Joe Thomas was the celebrated undrafted rookie last offseason, before he injured his knee in the preseason. The Packers brought Thomas back in Week 8 after they reached an injury settlement with him, demonstrating an interest in and commitment to him as a player. 

Can he make up for lost time this offseason?

In a recent roster projection, ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky projects that of the inside linebackers, Barrington, Ryan and Nate Palmer will make the roster, while Carl Bradford and Thomas don't make the cut. 

That makes Thomas an intriguing dark horse heading into camp, where he will try to prove that he deserves to be one of the likely four inside linebackers the Packers keep. 

Per Paul Imig of Fox Sports Wisconsin, during the offseason Palmer and Thomas were Green Bay's third-string inside linebackers behind the first-team pair of Matthews and Barrington and the second string of Ryan and Bradford.