Packers Sign Cornerback Following Rookie Camp

Northwestern State cornerback William Hooper emerged from the tryout pack with a contract following Green Bay Packers rookie camp.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers have signed Northwestern State cornerback William Hooper, one of the 14 tryout players from this weekend’s rookie minicamp, his agent, Corey Williams, confirmed.

Hooper was a second-team all-Southland Conference selection in 2022. While he didn’t have any interceptions, he broke up 12 passes. He had one interception in each of the previous three seasons.

Hooper had a lockdown final season. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed just a 38.0 percent completion rate in 2022, though he did give up four touchdowns. Notably, he missed only one tackle in 2022 and just five in his career.

In 2022, he played 649 snaps at cornerback vs. just 50 in the slot. He also played 150 snaps on special teams.

At pro day, he measured 5-foot-10 1/8 and 180 pounds. The fastest of his three 40-yard dashes was 4.45 seconds.

Had he not been signed by the Packers, he would have gotten a shot next week with the Buffalo Bills.

“They both reached out to my agent,” Hooper told Crescent City Sports. “I had talked to both teams before the draft and both were looking at me as a late-round guy. They like how I play off coverage, how I tackle and what I can bring on special teams.”

Jack Plumb, who went to school at nearby Bay Port High School and is the grandson of Super Bowl-champion defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur, was among the players who was not signed. His NFL road isn’t finished yet, though.

Hooper joins seventh-round pick Carrington Valentine as rookie cornerbacks.

The signing gives the Packers an 89-man roster; the offseason limit is 90, so there is a free spot to add another rookie or to dive into free agency.

With Hooper, the team signed 12 undrafted rookies. Here is that group, as previously reported.

WR Malik Heath, Mississippi

Heath was invited to the Scouting Combine. He measured 6-2 3/8 and 213 pounds and ran his 40 in 4.64 seconds. After two seasons of junior-college ball and two seasons at rival Mississippi State, Heath transferred for his final collegiate season and caught 60 passes for 971 yards and five touchdowns. He was an All-American in high school.

“Malik, he reminds me a lot like (former Ole Miss receiver) Braylon (Sanders),” fellow Ole Miss receiver Jonathan Mingo, a second-round pick by the Panthers on Friday, said in August. “Always has good energy. There’s never a negative day when Malik’s around. So, he brings good energy to the receiving room, and he brings a dog mentality.”

At MSU, he was involved in a brawl.

WR Duece Watts, Tulane

Watts (6-1 1/4, 196 pounds, 4.55 40) caught 33 passes for 657 yards (19.9 average) and eight touchdowns. In three seasons, he caught 85 passes for 1,500 yards and 17 touchdowns.

The Packers are Watts’ favorite team.

TE Camren McDonald, Florida State

McDonald (6-4 1/4, 237 pounds, 4.98 40) closed his career with three consecutive seasons of 23, 24 and 21 receptions. A three-year starter, he caught 21 balls for 312 yards (14.9 average) and one touchdown in 2022. He had a predraft visit with the Packers.

“I just have dynamic play-making ability at the tight end position,” McDonald told SI before the draft. “I mean that humbly. …

“I’m a master of second-level blocking and even blocking in line or perimeter. I can kind of push DBs around. I’m a big, longer guy so it’s hard for linebackers to get around me.”

TE Henry Pearson, Appalachian State

Pearson (6-2 3/8, 249 pounds, 4.79 40, 30 reps on 225-pound bench press) set career highs with 25 receptions for 329 yards (13.2 average) and five touchdowns in 2022. He was a three-year starter and second-team all-Sun Belt in 2022. He was a standout in lacrosse in high school.

OT Kadeem Telfort, UAB

Telfort had a predraft visit with the Packers. Here’s his story.

G Chuck Filiaga, Minnesota

Filiaga (6-5 5/8, 321 pounds, 5.32 40) started 11 games in five seasons at Michigan before transferring to Minnesota, where he started 13 games at right guard to earn third-team all-Big Ten as a senior.

DL Jason Lewan, Illinois State

Lewan (6-6 1/4, 293 pounds, 5.07 40) has prototypical physical tools. He had 27 tackles and one sack as a sixth-year senior in 2022 and five sacks, 10 tackles for losses and eight passes defensed in five seasons.

OLB Keshawn Banks, San Diego State

Banks (6-3 1/4, 251 pounds, DNP 40-yard dash) was a four-time all-Mountain West selection. He started his final 47 games and ranks sixth in school history with 42 tackles for losses. In 2022, he had 3.5 sacks and 11.5 TFLs.

“I have talked to a good amount of teams, double-digit amount of teams, and there is definitely some teams and organizations that are interested,” Banks told KRQE. “If I do get picked, I think it will be late, but either way I think I will have a shot to showcase my talent and feel like that’s all that I need.”

OLB Brenton Cox, Florida

Cox was kicked off two teams but is getting a shot in the NFL.

LB Jimmy Phillips Jr., SMU

Phillips (6-1 1/4, 232 pounds, 4.67 40) was a two-year starter. In 2022, he was third-team all-conference with a team-high 85 tackles, which included 7.5 tackles for losses, plus five passes defensed.

“You’ve got a great one,” the school said on Twitter.

S Benny Sapp, Northern Iowa

Sapp’s father is former NFL defensive back Benny Sapp, who played in 110 games over eight NFL seasons.

Sapp (5-11, 200 pounds, 4.62 40) was a second-team FCS All-American in 2022 with four interceptions. It was his second consecutive season with four picks, giving him three-year totals of nine interceptions and 16 passes defensed. He opened his career with two years at Minnesota.

“I really wanted to show them that I am not just a safety,” Sapp, who was drafted by the USFL, said at pro day. “I can play nickel or corner. … This is something I have been doing since I was 11 years old, out there with my dad while he was practicing in the NFL.”

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