J. Michael Sturdivant signed with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent and entered 2026 OTAs with a chance to compete for a spot on the 53-man roster. Enter Sturdivant, who enters OTAs with a golden opportunity to make an impact and put himself in the conversation for a roster spot later this summer.
The numbers that will follow him through the spring are stark: Sturdivant is 6-foot-2 and 207 pounds, he ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash, and he earned a Relative Athletic Score of 9.96 out of 10. The Packers guaranteed him $200,000 in base salary and a $15,000 signing bonus, a significant commitment for an undrafted signee and one that ensures his workouts will carry extra scrutiny.
On paper the receiver room still has clear tiers. Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden are the top three wide receivers, and Savion Williams is described as a roster lock. The Packers moved on from Romeo Doubs in free agency and traded Dontayvion Wicks in the offseason, and they did not add another pass-catcher in the draft — openings that make this spring’s competition more consequential than it might have been otherwise.
Beyond the top names, Sturdivant is not alone. He checks in opposite Will Sheppard, Brenden Rice, Isaiah Neyor and Jakobie Keeney-James as real candidates fighting for the bottom of the 53-man roster. The team added Skyy Moore, whose primary role is on special teams, and Bo Melton could shift back to wide receiver full-time, further complicating how coaches will structure depth on game days and on the early packers depth chart.
The Packers have a track record of giving undrafted rookies a legitimate opportunity, which matters here: Sturdivant lacks the consistent production that usually cements a draft pick’s early standing — a problem noted during the 2025 season — but his athletic testing separates him from many of the other late-window candidates. That's the calculus Green Bay coaches must make in the coming weeks: production versus upside.
That tension is exactly where Sturdivant has placed himself. He faces a crowded room with three established receivers ahead of him and a handful of competitors with more recent on-field production. At the same time he arrives with one of the more eye-popping testing profiles on the roster and meaningful guaranteed money. "That's a battle he can absolutely win," Sturdivant said, staking a claim on the competition and insisting his tools can translate to the field.
The most consequential question now is whether testing and a guaranteed deal are enough to overcome inconsistent production. Given Green Bay’s history of rewarding undrafted players who seize opportunities and the roster openings created by departures, Sturdivant’s blend of size, speed and a near-perfect Relative Athletic Score makes him a candidate who can force the Packers to adjust the early packers depth chart — but only if he turns that upside into consistent play when OTAs and minicamp give way to the fuller evaluations later this summer.
