Packers Attend Workout For Harvey Unga

A Packers scout watched the workout of the former BYU running back eligible for this year's supplemental draft.

The Green Bay Packers had a scout in attendance at today's workout of supplemental-draft-eligible running back Harvey Unga, formerly of BYU, according to Jay Drew of the Salt Lake Tribune.

The Packers were reportedly one of 20 teams to watch Unga's workout in Provo, Utah, although six more teams requested video of the workout. Teams not present included the Panthers, Titans, 49ers, Vikings and Texans based upon information from a Packers scout.

"Unga's 40 time was in the 4.64 range," writes Drew. "I asked three scouts who timed Unga's second 40, and one had 4.64, one had 4.63 and the other had 4.65. The first 40, ran in the opposite direction (toward the mountains) was a 4.72, according to the only scout I got a chance to ask."

Unga's agent, Chris Metz, said he expected Unga to run a 40-yard dash time around 4.5 seconds but revealed that his client supposedly sprained his ankle two weeks earlier. Also possibly factoring into Unga's workout preparation was the recent birth of his son, Jackson, on July 4 in Chicago, and the running back's travel to be there for the occasion.

The reason Unga has chosen to enter the supplemental draft is because he has withdrawn from BYU due to a inferred honor code violation. Because of the university's religious beliefs, BYU has a strict honor code that prohibits students from doing many things from drinking alcohol to wearing sleveless shirts among other things.

Unga is though to have withdrawn because of having premarital sex with his girlfriend (who he's reportedly set to marry next month), as the birth of his son would imply. Unga has avoided comment on the situation.

The 6-1, 244 pound Unga is a big running back that, for comparison's sake, is heavier than both Toby Gerhart and LaGarette Blount, two other large running backs that were drafted this past April.

Among Unga's other numbers today, he put up a 35-inch vertical jump, a 9' 6" broad jump and put of 19 reps on the 225-pound bench press. Only his bench press would have put him in the top-10 of this year's draft class of running backs at February's Combine, but that's not surprising given his size.

Heading into what would have been his senior year, Unga is already the school's all-time leading rusher with 3,455 yards on 696 carries for a 5.0-yard average and 45 collegiate overall touchdowns, nine of them coming on the receiving end.

Unga is thought to be a mid-round choice in the supplemental draft says CheeseheadTV's own Brian McIntyre. If the Packers, or any team, happen to select Unga, they'd have to give up a pick in the corresponding round of next year's April draft.

The Packers have five running backs currently under contract and three more fullbacks that compare in size to Unga, so it's unlikely they'd have much interest in drafting him.

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Comments (4)

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PWC (CHHQ)'s picture

July 08, 2010 at 06:28 pm

The Pack seem deep enough on runningbacks, but if 26 teams are interested in this guy, I'd say he's worth a look.

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FITZCORE1252's picture

July 09, 2010 at 06:56 am

Call me crazy, I'd still LOVE to see us bring in B-Westbrook. Draw up a contract totally based on his availability to play. If he misses 8 games he gets the Vet-minimum, If he only misses 6 he gets a bump (totally arbitrary #'s, but something like that). I just think his upside would be worth the relatively low risk/low $$$ contract. I'm well aware of his injury issues (he's been on a couple of my Fantasy teams as-of-late), BUT, we sorely miss the receiving threat out of the backfield and I think the price is right to take a chance.

GBP

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Asshalo's picture

July 09, 2010 at 09:34 am

"Unga is though to have withdrawn because of having premarital sex with his girlfriend (who he’s reportedly set to marry next month), as the birth of his son would imply. Unga has avoided comment on the situation"

I remember ESPN analysts giving BYU a pat on the back for "Upholding" their honor code without giving details of what he did to break the honor code. What a load.

It's like LBJ's TV special Last night. He's being called a jerk by ESPN personalities, when I would be willing to bet ESPN approached LeBron about the special in the first place. They create their own publicity stunts all the time and then report it like its news (not that they're the only ones in entertainment news to do this).

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CSS's picture

July 09, 2010 at 09:41 am

^^^This. ESPN is now 100% entertainment with 0% journalistic integrity. I appreciate only a minutia of their analysts, otherwise I've grown tired.

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