Packers Keep Tabs on Top Fullback Prospect

Wake Forest fullback Tommy Bohanon tells Cheesehead TV he met with the Packers during the Senior Bowl.

Depending on which source you trust for your draft rankings, Wake Forest's Tommy Bohanon is the top-ranked fullback in this year's class, according to the National Football Post and Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net.

What makes Bohanon such a highly-regarded prospect is being well-rounded, the type of player that's as good blocking as he is with the football in his hands.

"My best quality is definitely my versatility," Bohanon said in an interview with Cheesehead TV. "I played a lot of different positions at Wake. I played H-back, I played fullback, I did a little bit of everything on the offense, and I think I can bring that to an NFL team."

During his senior season in college, Bohanon lined up primarily as an H-back and tight end whereas he played more as a traditional fullback during his first three years.

A natural hands catcher, Bohanon has caught 57 passes over the course of his collegiate career for 405 yards and seven touchdowns.

"I definitely have confidence in my hands, and I think that I can catch the ball very well," said Bohanon.

Bohanon doesn't have as much experience carrying the ball. He only had two rushing attempts, albeit one for a touchdown, his senior season. Although he did have a combined 48 carries his first three seasons at Wake Forest.

The 6-1, 246 lb. fullback's best asset, however, might be his strength. His 36 repetitions on the 225 lb. bench press were tied for fourth among all players at the NFL Combine regardless of position. The only three players to put the bar up more times were all defensive linemen.

According to Bohanon, he met with representatives of the Packers at the Senior Bowl in January, and it's possible Green Bay could be looking to bring in competition for John Kuhn whose salary cap figure is worth over $2.5 million in 2013.

Kuhn's career reached its zenith during the Packers' Super Bowl season in 2010 when he scored six touchdowns (four receiving, two rushing) and averaged a career-high 3.3 yards per carry on 84 attempts(not counting two carries his rookie year).

In 2011, Kuhn scored another six touchdowns, but his days of being relied upon as a ball carrier were in decline with only 30 rushing attempts. He was named to his first Pro Bowl following the 2011 campaign and the NFL Network's Top 100 player list prior to the 2012 season.

Contributions from Kuhn waned even further in 2012 after missing two games due to a hamstring injury and scoring only one touchdown. Kuhn only has one year remaining on his three-year deal signed before the 2011 season.

With Kuhn's future in Green Bay cloudy beyond 2013, the Packers may look to add depth at the position in the middle rounds of April's Draft, and Bohanon could be a target.

In both 2010 and 2011, the Packers showed how much they valued the fullback position by carrying three of them on their roster, but that number was reduced to only one in 2012.

"I think there's still definitely teams that use fullbacks a lot," said Bohanon. "Certain teams don't and certain teams do, so you just have to impress one of those teams that do use the fullback."

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al's picture

April 16, 2013 at 03:33 pm

sounds good on paper ?

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