Wide receiver Brett Swain wasn't sure how good his chances were of being drafted, but he knew he had little shot if NFL teams thought his 40-yard dash time was in the 4.6s.
He got a chance to change that at San Diego State's pro day, and Swain made the most of it, turning in a 4.41 in the 40, one of the attributes that attracted the Packers to use their second seventh-round pick, No. 217 overall, on Swain.
"A lot of people knocked me on my speed," Swain said. "I was listed at 4.6-something, and I feel like that was something that really bothered me going through this whole situation. I felt speed was a big part of my game that I felt I had to prove to a lot of people.
"At my pro day I got my chance, I was able to run a good time, and my speed is something that's really helping me. A lot of people don't look at me as a guy who's going to blow past them, but ... when I'm able to run by them, then they understand, 'Hey, this guy can run a little bit.' I feel my speed work, some of the things I do, have put me in this position I am right now."
The Packers had acquired the 217th pick in an earlier trade with the St. Louis Rams, when Green Bay traded out of its fourth-round spot at No. 128. It turned out to be the Packers' last of nine selections in this draft, as they traded their final pick, No. 237, to New Orleans for a sixth-round selection next year.
Swain grew steadily more productive as a receiver through his college career, leading his team over the last two seasons by catching a combined 105 passes for 1,501 yards and seven TDs. His career game came against Portland State last September, when he caught six passes for 224 yards and three TDs.
He added punt return duties as a senior and had 10 returns for 88 yards, and he finished his college days with a career-best 10 catches (for 98 yards) against BYU.
"I think he could (return punts)," GM Ted Thompson said. "Anybody with good hands and can run can do that. We were concentrating more on him as a receiver. He's a gifted guy and he's good after the catch."
Thompson said Swain first caught the Packers' attention while they were scouting San Diego State's quarterback, Kevin O'Connell, who was selected in the third round by New England. He eventually was brought to Green Bay for a pre-draft visit.
"He's another guy that sort of caught our eye a little bit later," Thompson said. "Very impressive young man."
Swain sees himself as a "utility player," able to help out on offense, or perhaps more likely in the pros, on all the special teams units, whether as a returner or cover man. He sounds like the kind of kid who will do whatever it takes to get on an NFL field.
"Just being that team player where you do what the coaches ask," Swain said. "I feel like I can be a coachable person."
