On April 26th, at the end of the NFL Draft, the final pick will be surrounded by an absurd amount of pomp and circumstance. Currently, the Kansas City Chiefs hold that pick, but with the flurry of trades that'll happen that weekend, that could very well change between now and pick number 257. They call that pick "Mr. Irrelevant." After that player is picked, a week-long celebration is had in Newport Beach, CA with a parade, banquet, trophy, and all kinds of fun. I guess you could call it a "Hey you were picked last, but you still matter!" celebration. That might sound rather silly like a consolation prize for being last, but in the grand scheme of it all, is it that bad to be picked last in the draft when some players don't have their name called at all?

Not only does Mr. Irrelevant receive his parade, banquet, and trophy, but he also still receives his four-year NFL contract like every other draft pick. What about the guys who weren't picked at all that are now tossed into the bin of undrafted free agents who don't have a draft pick investment as a small form of job security? Aren't they a little more irrelevant? Maybe, but if we're being honest, some players might prefer to go undrafted than be "Mr. Irrelevant." Not a single "Mr. Irrelevant" has been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Only one "Mr. Irrelevant" has ever made the Pro Bowl. Countless undrafted free agents have earned Pro Bowl nods and around 8% of the Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinees went undrafted. 

Another benefit to being an undrafted free agent is you almost have your pick of whatever team rings your phone number when the draft concludes. This makes finding those hidden gems after the draft a much more impressive feat for General Managers sometimes than the actual draft class. Let's be honest, while selecting a player in the draft relies on scouting and knowledge, sometimes it can all be dumb luck. If you're picking number one, and everyone in the draft industrial complex states a player is the consensus "can't miss" number one pick, picking that player isn't some masterful gambit. But finding a player in the pool of those who weren't drafted that makes a difference for your team can be. 

The Packers have a history of finding those undrafted gems. Perhaps the most notable of those gems in the last 20 years that the Packers signed post-draft would be CB Sam Shields. Shields was undrafted in 2010 and immediately became the number three corner on the Packers' roster after camp. Not only did he make the team as a UDFA but he made a big impact as such. He made six starts and appeared in 14 games with two interceptions. He had an even bigger coming-out party in the NFC Championship game when he made two interceptions and forced a fumble against Chicago to earn the Packers a trip to the Super Bowl that they eventually won. 

Brian Gutekunst would love nothing more than to find another Sam Shields after the conclusion of the 2025 draft. 

Finding that gem in 2025

Truthfully, no one has any idea who's going to be an undrafted free agent come the conclusion of the draft. Teams undoubtedly have their ranking boards and have an idea of who may go undrafted that they can set their sights on as soon as selections conclude, but they never know if a team might just select them. 

Several GMs have said that if they have a player they want who's projected to be a UDFA, why not just select them with their 7th-round pick? This approach makes sense especially if they think there's a chance they may not be able to "woo" them into signing. 

So far leading up to the draft, the Packers have had several late-round pick projected visitors. But only one of those I've seen a "late round/undrafted" tag on and that's Washington State OT Esa Pole. Pole was late to the game of football, not playing in high school but after playing in junior college, he started 21 games at left tackle for Washington State. In 2024, he had 489 pass-protecting snaps and did not allow a single sack. 

The 6'7 320 lbs lineman is certainly an intriguing prospect. He moves well in pass-pro using his long frame to keep defenders at bay but one knock on him so far has been choppy footwork. Outside of his size and lack of sacks against, what's intrigued me the most about Pole is his untapped potential. Having only played football a short amount of time, perhaps Pole's brain is ripe for the molding and a good offensive line coach can fine-tune Esa Pole into becoming a great asset to a team. 

There will be many outside of Esa Pole for the Packers to choose from come draft day. Brian Gutekunst is great at finding those diamonds in the rough and hopefully, this is a time when he finds another UDFA to contribute immediately.