James Robinson, Clint Ratkovich Working Out for Packers
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Before the 2022 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers hosted a local pro day. Instead of boosting his draft stock, Northern Illinois’ Clint Ratkovich suffered a torn ACL.
Ratkovich, a fullback, is back in Green Bay on Tuesday for a free-agent workout. The headliner is former 1,000-yard rusher James Robinson.
Because of his versatility Ratkovich had a chance of being a late-round pick in 2022. Instead, because of the injury, he went undrafted. The Falcons signed him in late December and he competed for a spot with them in training camp. Despite a strong preseason, he was released among their final cuts as the Falcons went with veteran Keith Smith.
In three seasons at Western Illinois, Ratkovich rushed 97 times for 429 yards (4.4 average) and three touchdowns and, more impressively, caught 128 passes for 1,204 yards (9.4 average) and 10 touchdowns. He caught 54 passes in 2018 and 57 passes in 2019.
Ratkovich transferred to Northern Illinois, where he rushed for 461 yards (4.4 average) and 13 touchdowns and added 15 catches for 124 yards (8.3 average) and two more touchdowns in 2021. One of those 15 touchdowns was a 96-yard run against Western Michigan, which was the longest run by an NIU player since 1934.
Northern Illinois is coached by Thomas Hammock. Before landing at NIU, he was the running backs coach for the Baltimore Ravens for five seasons. That elicited a comparison to seven-time Pro Bowl fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who spent his first four NFL seasons with the Ravens before becoming a bedrock of the 49ers’ offense.
Clint Ratkovich
Photo by Michael Madrid/USA Today Sports Images
“Life isn’t as easy as it seems,” Ratkovich told Sports Illustrated in July 2022. “The injury happened at possibly the worst time it could have, but really opened my eyes. Football is a tough sport and things like this are to be expected to happen.
“I can say that going through this has made me embrace the grind. Getting back hasn’t been easy, but I love a good challenge. I will be back, and who doesn’t love a good comeback story.”
Also part of the Tuesday workout is Robinson. An undrafted free agent out of Illinois State in 2020, Robinson rushed for 1,070 yards, caught 49 passes and scored 10 total touchdowns as a rookie and added 767 rushing yards, 31 receptions and eight total touchdowns in 2021.
As a rookie, he rushed 23 times for 109 yards at Lambeau Field, though the Packers won 24-20.
The 25-year-old opened last season with the Jaguars but was traded to the Jets. This year, he spent training camp with the New York Giants.
Also part of the workout, which a source said was being held on Tuesday despite being widely reported as Monday: linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi, cornerback BoPete Keyes and safety Christian Young.
At Rutgers, Fatukasi led the Big Ten in tackles and was a semifinalist for the Butkus Award. An undrafted free agent in 2022, he played in 13 games for the Buccaneers as a rookie. He spent training camp this year with the Patriots and Chiefs.
Keyes was a seventh-round pick by the Chiefs in 2020. He started one game for Kansas City as a rookie and has bounced around the league for the past couple years. He was released by the Browns in July following a finger injury.
Young started at Arizona in 2021 and 2022, with 143 tackles and six passes defensed during those seasons. At 6-foot-1 and 228 pounds, he signed with the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent and competed for a spot at linebacker in training camp.
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