Green Bay Packers: Top 15 undrafted free agents of all-time

EVAN DIETRICH-SMITH (CENTER)

The 6-2, 308-pound center had to earn respect the hard way after a rocky first stint upon signing with the Packers in 2009.

Though he flashed talent, the coaching staff wasn’t thrilled with his hard partying ways and Dietrich-Smith was waived as a result in the last round of preseason cuts in 2010.

When he was re-signed two weeks prior to Green Bay’s Super Bowl win over the Steelers, Mike McCarthy and company noticed a newfound maturity in their former UDFA.

Dietrich-Smith would go on to serve as a valuable backup until the real turning point of his career took place midway through the 2012 season when he was summoned to replace fading veteran Jeff Saturday in the starting lineup.

McCarthy was able to expand the ground game with his younger, more powerful option.

In addition, the pride of Idaho State was effective in pass protection, in terms of picking up stunts and getting his fellow blockers on the same page.

The heady lineman, who has recently dropped “Dietrich” from his name, hooked up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent during the 2014 offseason, as Ted Thompson had to worry about clearing out enough space to hold on to Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb who were coming up on their walk years at the time.

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