The Green Bay Packers Thursday signed seventh-round draft choice Scott Wells and rookie free-agent James Taylor. The club also waived DE Junior Glymph, T/G Joe Hayes, LB Kevin Jackson and WR Devin Lewis, GM/Head Coach Mike Sherman announced.
Wells, drafted with a compensatory pick (251st overall), adds depth to the Packers' offensive line. A four-year starter for the powerhouse Tennessee Volunteers, he moved into the starting lineup midway through the first game of his collegiate career. His consecutive starts streak of 49 games is the third longest in college football history among offensive linemen.
Casey Clausen took every snap from Wells over the four years they played in Knoxville. Also an accomplished wrestler, Wells as a prep was ranked as the No. 1 wrestler in the nation.
Taylor, 24, will compete with several defensive backs during training camp, which begins with a 2:45 practice for rookies and first-year players Friday afternoon.
A 6-1, 220-pound cornerback/safety from Georgetown (Ky.) College, Taylor is extremely athletic. He played both split end (2000) and safety (2001-02) at Ohio University before moving to Georgetown. Last season at the NAIA school, he played on both sides, but mostly at wingback, rushing for 258 yards on 41 carries with two TDs. The versatile Taylor in '03 also caught 13 passes for 100 yards and one TD, returned five kickoffs for 118 yards, and made six tackles on defense.
As a safety at Ohio, Taylor started three games, all in 2001, on defense and posted 66 Division-I tackles. As a redshirt freshman in 2000, he started four games at split end and caught eight passes for 90 yards. As a prep wide receiver at Ironton (Ohio) High School, he earned first-team all-state honors as a senior in 1998.
Glymph, Hayes and Jackson were signed as non-drafted free agents April 30. Lewis spent the 2003 season on the Packers' injured-reserve list.
With the roster moves, the Packers have assigned Taylor No. 45, while Steve Bush moves to No. 82 and Tony Donald is now No. 85.
