BREAKING: Green Bay Packers select Kennard Backman, TE, UAB, 213

Analysis (Mike Wendlandt)- Backman is a prototypical H-back. Catches the ball well, especially in traffic. Listed at 6’3” and 258 lbs, Backman is a receiver first. He was dependable and durable at UAB, playing consistently all four years. Solid after the catch, he likes to lower his shoulder and push the pile. He struggles as a route runner at times, and is not the cleanest player in and out of breaks. Struggles as a blocker on the line, struggles to engage lineman and doesn’t seal the edge. Led UAB in receptions with 39 last season.

Has a basketball background, was All-State in high school, and we know how basketball players translate at tight end. He may not be the next Antonio Gates, but he has intriguing athleticism and ball skills.

Team fit (Ross Uglem)- The Packers desperately needed another tight end on the roster, if even for the purpose of camp bodies. Andrew Quarless, Richard Rodgers and Justin Perillo are the only holdovers left from the 2015 team. The Packers are a team who have carried as many as 5 tight ends into a season before, so being as thin as they are now is troubling.

Backman is certainly going to have an easy road to reps at training camp, what he does with them is the important question.