Packers generate real value out of nowhere and sign exciting offensive weapon the NFL forgot to draft
Green Bay signed Florida wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant as an undrafted free agent, and the youngster has the potential to develop into a solid boundary weapon in Matt LaFleur’s offense.
The Green Bay Packers didn’t make any seventh-round picks this year after trading both they had to move back into the sixth round to select kicker Trey Smack. To compensate for that, the front office acted quickly and signed some intriguing undrafted players. And none is more promising than wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant, from Florida.
Sturdivant is an athletic and traitsy receiver who had a curious college career in terms of production. However, the physical tools and the talent are there — and that’s why NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein projected him as a fifth/sixth-round prospect, while The Athletic’s Dane Brugler graded him as a sixth-rounder.
What the Packers added
J. Michael Sturdivant is almost 6-3, 210-pound receiver, and he can play both boundary spots (X or Z receiver). His 4.4 40-yard dash is just an example of his speed. The tape also shows his ability to stress opposing defenses deep down the field. As a bottom-of-the-roster player/practice-squader, Sturdivant has to contribute on special teams, and that’s what he did in 2025 — in his final college season, he played more special teams snaps than in his previous three seasons combined.
Sturdivant will be 24 when the season starts, so he might not have a huge developmental curve in the NFL. But he has details in his route-running to improve, especially the ability to cut at the top of the route.
The offensive weapon played five college seasons — two at Cal, two at UCLA, and the final one at Florida. Interestingly, the 2022 season was his most productive one, with 65 receptions for 755 yards and seven touchdowns. In 2025, he had 27 catches for 406 yards and three touchdowns.
Alignment versatility
At Florida, Sturdivant had 60% of his snaps as a boundary receiver, but he also played 40% of them in the slot — and that positional versatility is impactful. After trading Dontayvion Wicks, the Packers could certainly use a bigger body in the slot from time to time. Last season, he generated 1.32 yards per route run, a 14.2 average depth of target, and had only one drop.
J. Michael Sturdivant was the 241st player on the Wide Left consensus big board, which equates to a seventh-round value.
The Packers extended Jayden Reed and opted not to take any wide receivers in the draft. However, that doesn’t mean a rookie can’t impact the room — and Sturdivant has that upside.