The streak of at least one undrafted free agent being on the Green Bay Packers roster in Week 1 is set to continue, as J. Michael Sturdivant will make Green Bay’s initial 53, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Sturdivant was signed by the Packers as a UDFA out of Florida back in April and won a three-way battle with Isaiah Neyor and Will Sheppard for what will presumably be the seventh and final wide receiver spot on the team.
He cemented his place with an outstanding performance in Green Bay’s final preseason game against Arizona on Friday night, racking up six catches for 112 yards and a touchdown.
The 23-year-old overcame the odds a bit to make the roster after leaving the second preseason game with a concussion,
returning quickly and playing his best game at Lambeau Field in the finale.
Sturdivant ended the preseason with the ninth highest PFF receiving grade at 84.3. Perhaps more importantly, he showed he can add value on special teams, taking part in the third phase in all three games and earning a grade of 78.9.
The Packers have got a little small at receiver for their usual standards, so Sturdivant sets them back on course somewhat as the classic height/weight/speed receiver they have coveted in the past.
At nearly 6-3 and 207 pounds, Sturdivant ran a 4.40 40-yard dash during the pre-draft process, as well as leaping 39” in the vertical jump and 10-11 in the broad jump.
He posted a 9.96 Relative Athletic Score (RAS) out of a possible 10, which ranked second among 382 draft-eligible receivers in 2026 and 16th all-time out of nearly 4,200 prospects.
Sturdivant spent time at three different schools during his college career, starting out at Cal, where he put up 755 receiving yards and seven touchdowns as a redshirt freshman in 2022.
He was not able to build on that success, only managing another 1,323 yards across the next three seasons between UCLA, where he transferred in 2023, and Florida, where he spent his final college campaign and only posted 411 receiving yards.
Despite his college career fizzling out, Sturdivant has made the most of his opportunity in Green Bay, where more consistent quarterback play than he benefitted from in college will no doubt have helped.
Sturdivant is unlikely to see the field much as a rookie from the bottom of the depth chart, but the Packers were almost certainly going to lose him to waivers if they did not include him on the roster, and he could prove to be a useful player with more development.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: J. Michael Sturdivant makes Packers roster, extends UDFA streak to 22 years
