Why Kadeem Telfort is My Favorite 2023 UDFA
The Packers are a harder target for undrafted free agents than they used to be. With Rich Bisaccia at the helm on special teams, spots that used to go to ultra-cheap rookies are now occupied by veterans specifically signed for their specia teams acumen. On top of that, the Packers are a lot younger than they used to be, and a lot of that youth has arrived in the form of draft picks, 24 of them in the last two years alone.
That makes it much harder for an undrafted player to crack the roster than before — but it’s not impossible. And if I had to bet on a guy making a run this year, it would be UAB’s Kadeem Telfort.
Who is Kadeem Telfort?
A 6-foot-7, 322-pound offensive line prospect, Telfort arrives in Green Bay after a circuitous but ultimately successful college football career. He started at the University of Florida, but left the program after he was charged for credit card fraud. (Not to defend Telfort, he made a series of very bad decisions, but it’s fair to wonder if he’d have done the same thing if college football’s current NIL compensation rules had been in place for his freshman year. He was, after all, using the cards fraudulently to buy food.)
After leaving Florida, he spent time at two community colleges in his home state of Kansas before landing at UAB. There, he started 28 games over three years, earning an honorable mention spot on the All-Conference USA list in 2021 before being named to the All-Conference USA first team in 2022.
What does Telfort bring to the Packers
Telfort’s size stands out even in a sport populated by enormous humans. He’s a tad smaller, but you could liken him to this year’s version of Caleb Jones, himself a massive offensive line prospect.
As with a lot of extra-big offensive linemen, though, technique is not necessarily Telfort’s strong suit. Most scouting reports paint him as a little bit unrefined as a blocker, which is a consistent trait among players who have unusual physical gifts. Why bother getting good when you can just be huge? More people should just be huge.
But therein lies a bit of a problem for Telfort: he’s not uniquely huge for the Packers. Brian Gutekunst has gone out of his way the past couple of seasons to add enormous bodies at tackle. In addition to Telfort and Caleb Jones, the Packers also have 2022 seventh-round draft pick Rasheed Walker and midseason waiver claim Luke Tenuta on the roster. That’s four different tackles who are all 6-foot-7 or taller, and we haven’t even mentioned Yosh Nijman, a generously proportioned lineman in his own right.
There’s also the small matter of Telfort’s struggles against top-tier programs. Though he was dominant at times against small schools and Conference USA opponents, two of his three worst-graded games at UAB (per Pro Football Focus) came against Georgia and LSU. If you struggle against the very best of college football, it probably doesn’t bode super well for you at the next level.
Still, he excelled outside of those games, and his physical gifts are undeniable. So how does he make some noise in Green Bay?
What is Telfort’s path to the roster?
The Packers seem to think highly of all their non-Nijman giants, which is both a blessing and a curse for Telfort. A blessing, becaue it gives him a clear path to the roster (or practice squad), but a curse because each of the other tackle giants has a year of experience on Telfort.
In theory, at least. Caleb Jones spent most of the season on the Non-Football Injury list battling mono. Rasheed Walker was only active for one game. Luke Tenuta played a grand total of 25 snaps, including special teams. Maybe that inside track isn’t such an advantage.
Regardless, Telfort’s path to a job with the Packers will have him facing off with other large linemen. He’ll have to beat out at least one, maybe two guys in that group for a shot, which could be tough but isn’t impossible. Given the way the Packers have built their roster over the past couple of seasons, I like his chances.