Happy 4th of July to all and hope everyone enjoys a safe one with their friends and family!

The Green Bay Packers will open training camp in just a few short weeks and the storylines will begin to develop.  Among them will be this year's crop of undrafted free agents, as has been the case nearly every year with the Packers under general manager Ted Thompson and head coach Mike McCarthy.  One thing the Packers have become known for is taking a player and trying to mold them to best suit their scheme.  Players like Mike Neal, Nick Perry and Datone Jones come to mind.  All three were defensive linemen in college and were eventually turned into linebackers by the Packers.  In Jones's case, this season will be his first at elephant end, which is a hybrid linebacker spot.  Neal's days in Green Bay appear to be over with and he's still a free agent, but he did prove serviceable during his time in Green Bay.  The jury is still out on Perry and this season looks to be a make or break.

Thompson has received criticism from those who wonder why he seems to gravitate towards players who need more development or who they try to convert from their college position to another at the pro level.  They argue that the "square peg in a round hole" mantra has held the Packers back in recent years.  When talking about a high draft pick such as Neal, Perry and Jones, there is less room for a failed experiment.  When it comes to the undrafted crop, however, the risk is much lower and the potential gain much higher.  Thompson is playing those odds and rolling the dice once again this season with undrafted linebacker Reggie Gilbert.

Gilbert spent his years at the University of Arizona as a defensive lineman.  He spent next to no time in a stand-up role, but his size, stature (Gilbert stands 6'3") and athletic ability has him more suited as a linebacker in the NFL than as a defensive lineman.  As a result, Gilbert dropped his weight down from 275 pounds to just over 260 at his pro day workout this past spring.  His measurables from his pro day include a 4.79 40-yard dash, 24 reps on the bench, a vertical of 33.5" and a broad jump of 9'6".  By comparison, third rounder Kyler Fackrell, who is 6'5", ran his 40 in 4.72 seconds, put up 15 bench reps and tallied a vertical of 34.5".  Gilbert racked up 14 sacks during his college career and had three forced fumbles.  

Fans love to get enamored by a player's physical attributes (see Jeffrey Ronald Janis) and sometimes overlook the fact that there's a reason that all 32 teams passed on them several times.  That alone makes Gilbert's chances of cracking the roster that much tougher, but the Packers reportedly have had their eye on Gilbert for some time and it was a no-brainer for Thompson once he went undrafted.  With Julius Peppers nearing the end of his career, Clay Matthews another year older and question marks among the rest of the pass rushers, any promise or push that Gilbert can show would be a welcome addition.  It should be added that a few undrafted linebackers have managed to stick with the Packers in recent years, for better or worse.  Frank Zombo, Dezman Moses, Andy Mulumba and Jayrone Elliott.  Gilbert's chances may already be better than average.

Gilbert has his work cut out for him, though.  He has said that he feels like he's learning the linebacker position well and has received positive feedback from scouts but every defensive system is different.  Now that he's with the Packers, it only matters how well he fits in and transitions to his new role in Green Bay.  The Packers like players who offer versatility and from an experience standpoint, Gilbert brings that to the table, having spent time on both the defensive line and in drills as a linebacker.  This is the type of player McCarthy likes to use on special teams as well.  With an extra preseason game, Gilbert should get ample opportunity to show his value in one way or another.

One of the final factors is how the Packers decide to lay out their 2016 roster.  Typically they carry around seven linebackers.  Gilbert won't unseat guys like Peppers, Matthews, Perry or Jones.  Fackrell is safe for all intents and purposes, as a third-round pick.  Many are expecting Elliott to get more involved this season so Gilbert may not win the numbers game.  Several teams had their eye on him and so he could garner some interest if the Packers try to stick him on the practice squad but that's likely where he lands, if Green Bay wants to maintain control of his situation.

Among this year's crop of undrafted's, which also includes Mississippi State linebacker Beniquez Brown, Reggie Gilbert looks to be one that we may be hearing and reading more about as the summer wears on.