As a seventh-round draft pick coming into a crowded and competitive running back group in Green Bay, DeShawn Wynn knows he'll have his work cut out for him to make the final roster.
But is he's able to show some versatility and handle responsibilities at both tailback and fullback, he may increase his chances.
The Packers drafted Wynn out of Florida on Sunday with the first of their two seventh-round selections (228th overall) and will explore just where his 5-foot-10 1/2, 232-pound frame will be most effective.
Playing fullback would require a learning curve for Wynn, who led the national champion Gators' backfield-by-committee in 2006 with 124 carries for 630 yards and five TDs. That came off a season in which he put up similar numbers with 130 carries for 612 yards and seven TDs as a junior in 2005.
Because the fullback in the Packers' zone-blocking system is not just a straight-ahead hammer but a read-and-react player required to make the correct block, Wynn's tailback skills could help him adjust more quickly.
"He has to be able to make reads and adjustments like a halfback would, so it kind of helps in a sense when you have a big back who can see it and read it the way a halfback would read it," Packers running backs coach Edgar Bennett said.
"We have a number of different drills and things we can use to kind of speed up the process as far as what is required to play fullback. A lot of it is attitude and want-to."
Wynn insists he has the right attitude despite some injuries that slowed him down his final season at Florida and an off-field incident that led to a one-game suspension.
"You always have to take your game up another level, especially playing professional football," Wynn said. "Playing professional football means being professional about what you do and how you carry yourself, and I'm definitely ready to take that role on."
The Packers always study a player's character and background as part of the draft process, and Bennett insists the team did its due diligence in studying Wynn.
"I think after having some discussions with him, now in his career he knows he has to make certain adjustments," Bennett said. "This is a business and he's coming in with the right frame of mind that he has to be a professional in how he goes about his business, on and off the field."
