Ranking Green Bay Packers' Top 5 Sleepers to Watch in Camp

Sure, it's always fun to see veteran Green Bay Packers show off their skills up close at Ray Nitschke Field during training camp practices. 

But what many Packers fans look forward to most about training camp is the emergence of sleeper players who put together summer performances impressive enough to earn spots on the team...and continue to produce during the regular season. 

Not many of these players emerge each summer—after all, Packers fans and beat writers alike are incredibly observant and usually have a sense of each player's strengths and weaknesses heading into camp.

However, it's still useful to predict which sleepers could have impressive training camp performances, and the following five players are poised to do just that. None of these players may actually make the final roster, but if not, some could land on the practice squad.

Players are ranked from most likely to earn a spot on the team—active roster or practice squad—to least likely. 

5. WR Adrian Coxson

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Wide receiver is a crowded place for a player to try and hang his hat this offseason. If the Packers want to keep all their second-year players and their 2015 rookie, the position will include six players: Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Davante Adams, Ty Montgomery, Jeff Janis and Jared Abbrederis. 

However, Green Bay also has practice-squad Myles White and a talented crop of undrafted rookies to consider at the position, including Adrian Coxson. 

After one season at Maryland, Adrian Coxson played at Stony Brook for three years, seeing time in 35 games with 19 starts. He finished his career with 1,335 yards, 82 receptions and 10 touchdowns.

Coxson made a case to be drafted at his pro day, where he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.28 and 4.33 seconds, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun, but, of course, ultimately signed as an UDFA with Green Bay. Per Wilson, the Packers were in attendance at that workout.

At 6'1" and 209 pounds, Coxson is one of the bigger pass-catchers currently on Green Bay's roster. Former Packers wideout Qadry Ismail, who trained Coxson before the draft, said Coxson has the big-play capability of Terrell Owens and the catch radius of Anquan Boldin, per Tyler Dunne, formerly of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. 

That's no small praise for the undrafted rookie, who faces an uphill battle to make the roster at such a crowded position. But if the Packers see those Owens- or Boldin-like qualities during camp, perhaps Coxson will earn a spot on the practice squad. 

4. CB Bernard Blake

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There are plenty of new Packers cornerbacks to discuss this offseason. In addition to the first- and second-round rookies, Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins, the Packers also signed defensive back Kyle Sebetic in the offseason and landed undrafted rookies LaDarius Gunter and Bernard Blake. 

Gunter has been the more celebrated undrafted free agent, but Blake is a good prospect to keep an eye on this summer as the players in the secondary try to stand out.

At Colorado State, Blake played in 47 games and started 35. After his senior year, in which he had 38 tackles (26 solo), three tackles for loss, 11 pass breakups and one interception, he was selected to play in the East-West Shrine Game. 

Blake "has the traits to make an NFL roster as a backup," NFL.com's Lance Zierlein wrote in his draft profile, cautioning that he could get mismatched by size. But he also added that Blake "isn't easily beaten by double moves or sophisticated routes."

3. P Cody Mandell

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Could Tim Masthay, who has been the Packers' punter for the last five seasons, really lose his job this summer to a free agent whom the Packers signed in January?

Hey, anything is possible. 

The Packers signed former Alabama punter Cody Mandell to bring in competition in training camp for Masthay, who had the worst season of his career in Green Bay in 2014. Masthay posed a career-low in net yards per punt, with 37, and had two punts blocked.

Mandell walked on at Alabama in 2010 and played 52 games. He averaged 42.6 yards per punt over his career. Last offseason, he spent time with the Dallas Cowboys but didn't make the final roster. 

The Packers tried this same motivating technique, if we can call it that, when kicker Mason Crosby struggled during the 2012-13 season, bringing kicker Giorgio Tavecchio in to compete for the job during camp. Crosby kept his job. Now Masthay must do the same. 

Mandell will definitely be a player to keep an eye on throughout camp, especially if Masthay's struggles have followed him into the offseason. 

2. RB Alonzo Harris

Morry Gash/Associated Press

We've been spending a lot of time this offseason discussing whether Rajion Neal or undrafted rookie John Crockett will be Green Bay's No. 3 halfback in 2015, but it would be a mistake to exclude UDFA Alonzo Harris from the conversation entirely. 

While Harris may not be in a position to beat out Neal or Crockett for a spot on the 53-man roster, he is a hard-nosed inside runner and will be a fun player to watch during training camp. 

Harris averaged 4.7 yards per carry over his career at Louisiana-Lafayette. On the ground, he posted 3,330 rushing yards on 704 attempts and 44 touchdowns over his career. He also added 29 receptions for 234 yards.

One key aspect of Harris' game that could make him a good fit in Green Bay is his zone-blocking ability. Per Weston Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, the Packers' zone-blocking scheme "parallels Lafayette's system."

Harris could be a player to develop on the practice squad, if another team isn't interested in him before he clears waivers. 

1. TE Justin Perillo

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The Green Bay Packers had four tight ends on their depth chart at the end of the 2014 season. Former undrafted free agent Justin Perillo rounded out the group when he was signed to the active roster from the practice squad in November.

Perillo wasn't used much in 2014; he had 11 snaps, per Pro Football Focus, and was used in blocking rather than receiving, but earning a spot on the active roster is always an accomplishment unto itself.

This year, it looks like the Packers will only have room for three tight ends on the 53-man roster—a group which likely would have included Richard Rodgers, Andrew Quarless and rookie Kennard Backman.

However, some recent legal troubles for Quarless could potentially change the scope of the unit this fall. 

As Tim Elfrink of the Miami New Times originally reported on July 4, Quarless was arrested in South Beach after firing a gun during an argument with a group of women. With speculation by Pro Football Talk that Quarless could be headed for the Commissioner/Exempt list if the Packers don't cut Quarless, there may be room for a third tight end to step up. 

Whether or not it's Perillo will have a lot to do with his performance during training camp. Perillo missed most of the offseason training activities with an unidentified injury and did not practice, as Weston Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reported at the time.