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The Green Bay Packers continued to bolster depth at running back, even after selecting USC’s Marshawn Lloyd in the third round of the NFL Draft.
Shortly after the draft’s conclusion, Green Bay signed former Alcorn State and Syracuse running back Jarveon Howard as an undrafted free agent.
Howard, 5-f0ot-10 and 200 pounds, proved during his two seasons at Alcorn State that he is plenty capable of shouldering a significant workload, logging 407 carries for 2,042 yards and 19 touchdowns.
“[He] instilled fear in defenses with his power and breakaway speed,” Sports Illustrated’s Kyle T. Mosley writes of Howard. “During his 2022 campaign when he became the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s leading rusher.”
All told, Howard capped his collegiate career, which began with three seasons at Syracuse, rushing for 2,773 yards with 29 touchdowns. During a stellar 20223 campaign at Alcorn State, Howard also flashed as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, pulling down 26 receptions for 172 yards, while averaging 6.6 yards per catch.
Howard participated in Mississippi State’s pro day, where his workout turned heads of NFL evaluators in attendance when he ran the 40-yard dash in an impressive 4.52 seconds, put up 28 reps on the bench press, posted an impressive 36.5 vertical jump and a 10-foot-8-inch broad jump.
In Green Bay, Howard will likely compete with Lloyd, and Emanuel Wilson both for a roster spot and potential carries behind free agent acquisition — and former NFL rushing Champion, Josh Jacobs and A.J. Dillon in a crowded backfield.
New Orleans Saints’ Star a Fan of Jarveon Howard
Howard and New Orleans Saints safety Johnathan Abram share a strong bond, stemming from the fact that they both went to the same high school, East Marion High School in Columbia Mississippi, and now with Howard aiming to forge his own NFL path in Abram’s footsteps.
The pair spent one season as teammates, Abram’s Senior season in 2014 when Howard played varsity as an eighth-grader, and have remained close ever since.
“He just told me to clear my mind and do what I need to do and that was the thing,” Howard told the New Orleans Saints’ website was Abram’s biggest piece of advice to navigating the pre-draft process. “He was telling me ‘You’re going to run into things that, you know, you might think you can’t handle, but … you can overcome that.'”
Depending on how rookie minicamp and this summer goes for Howard, the pair of Colombia natives may square off as opponents with the Saints and Packers slated to face each other at some point during the 2024 season.
Brian Gutekunst Explains Decision to Draft Michael Pratt
Even with Jordan Love emerging as one of the brightest young quarterbacks across the NFL, and Sean Clifford offering a strong leadership voice in a young quarterback room, general manager Brian Gutekunst and the Packers added depth to the position during the 2024 NFL Draft.
Green Bay chose Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt in the seventh round, one year after calling Clifford’s name with a fifth-round selection.
“I wanted to add a quarterback and a bunch went early,” Gutekunst told reporters Saturday following the draft. “So, there wasn’t a lot of guys available in the mid-rounds. So as we got later and later (Pratt) was kind of the only left that we wanted to target, so that was kind of nice.”
There are few negatives to taking a late-round flier on a developmental quarterback, both as an insurance policy on any injuries to a starter or as a potential trade chip in coming years.
Pratt arrives in Green Bay after passing for 9,611 yards across his four-year career at Tulane, with 90 touchdowns to 26 interceptions.
“Obviously a winner,” Gutekunst said of Pratt. “He really turned that program around. Started a lot of games for them. He’s a good athlete. He’s got a pretty live arm. Very accurate. Just like the way he handled himself. He had some big wins, so we’re excited.”
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