Draft picks don't scare Packers undrafted rookie corner LaDarius Gunter

GREEN BAY, Wis. – LaDarius Gunter knows the Green Bay Packers picked cornerbacks in the first and second rounds of last week's NFL draft.

And he doesn't care.

If he did, the former University of Miami cornerback would have taken one of the many other offers he received from teams after he went undrafted rather than signing with the Packers, who picked Arizona State's Damarious Randall in the first round and Miami of Ohio's Quinten Rollins in the second.

But that's not the path Gunter chose.

"I'm a competitor," he said Saturday after the Packers rookie camp practice.

Gunter has at least one advantage over Randall and Rollins – height. He measured 6-foot-1½ at the scouting combine, making him nearly two full inches taller than Randall and more than an inch taller than Rollins.

He's the tallest cornerback on the Packers' roster, which can't be a bad thing considering they face the likes of Calvin Johnson (6-5) and Alshon Jeffery (6-3) twice a year.

"With faster guys, I can get my hands on them and slow them down," Gunter said. "With the bigger guys, I can use my body and jump to play with those guys as well. [Height] plays a role in both situations."

That could help Gunter make up for his lack of speed. He ran a 4.69 40-yard dash at the combine, the slowest time among all corners tested in Indianapolis. Gunter had just six interceptions in three seasons at Miami, the last two of which he was a full-time starter.

"Some people are fast on a straight line," he said. "I feel like I'm just a football player. I'm not a track star. I'm a football player."

Gunter wouldn't be the first undrafted player to make it as a cornerback in Green Bay. Tramon Williams and Sam Shields, the Packers' regular starters since 2012, both entered the league that way. In fact, Shields did so out of the same school when he came out of Miami in 2010.

"I just thought it was the best fit," Gunter said of the Packers. "And I knew Sam Shields' story, so I felt like I could get the same chance, the same opportunity he was given."

Despite how the depth chart might look with the additions of Randall and Rollins, coach Mike McCarthy insisted there's a chance for a player like Gunter.

"Absolutely, there's opportunity not only for defensive backs, but I think you really have to go into this with an open mind," McCarthy said. "Stick to your philosophy, and that's really to build your best 90-man roster."


(espn.com)