Cheesehead
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- Mar 19, 2019
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GREEN BAY – As the NFL offseason calendar turns to March, most of the attention is centered on who will be the next big free-agent acquisition in a couple weeks and which combine standout has the best chance of making an instant impact.
To be certain, the next two months will have a significant effect on how the 2020 NFL season unfolds. Look no further than the Packers, whose four free-agent signings and eight-player draft class contributed mightily to the team winning as many games (13) in 2019 as its two previous seasons combined.
Yet for every Za'Darius Smith or Elgton Jenkins that comes through the door, there also are unheralded holdovers such as Allen Lazard and Lucas Patrick who come out of nowhere to make a name for themselves over the course of a long season.
The Packers have the necessary cap room to again be competitive in free agency and 10 selections in this year's draft to improve the roster. Predictably, there also will be a few more returning young players who come out of the woodwork to make a mark on next year's squad.
With that in mind, here are five under-the-radar players to keep an eye on in 2020:
TE Jace Sternberger
The Packers thought highly enough of Jace Sternberger's skill set and upside to draft the 6-foot-4, 251-pound tight end in the third round (75th overall) last April, the highest Green Bay has drafted a tight end in nearly 20 years.
Sternberger, who started his college career as a receiver at Kansas, was named Texas A&M's team MVP for the 48 catches, 832 yards and 10 touchdowns he produced in his lone season in College Station.
Sternberger's first NFL season was marred by early injuries and misfortune. He suffered a concussion and jaw injury during a co-op practice with Houston in August before spending the first half of the regular season on injured reserve with an ankle injury. He didn't technically have a catch in seven regular-season appearances but Sternberger got stronger as the year wore on.
"It was a process but I thought he started to get a good handle on things toward the end of the season," Head Coach Matt LaFleur said. "I thought (tight ends coach) Justin Outten did an incredible job with him, just putting in the extra time needed for him to get up to speed. I thought he was playing some good ball at the end of the season in the limited reps that he got."
The 23-year-old tight end impressed with his blocking, versatility and athleticism. He filled in as an H-back after fullback Danny Vitale missed the final three games of the year with a knee injury. Sternberger then became the 38th player to catch a touchdown from quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the NFC Championship Game against San Francisco.
"I think Jace in time has a chance to be the kind of guy that can be a mismatch for us," Gutekunst said. "He has some dynamic ability in the passing game. We're pretty excited about what he did as a blocker."