Why Undrafted?: Adrian Hubbard, OLB, Alabama
By Charlie Campbell, @draftcampbell
A year ago, many thought that Adrian Hubbard could become a big-time prospect. The 6-foot-6, 257-pound edge rusher was the best pass-rusher on Alabama’s National Championship team in 2012. The sophomoretotaled 41 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, seven sacks, three forced fumbles and a pass batted. With that kind of production and a year of experience, the expectations were high for the junior in 2013.
The 2013 season didn’t go as planned as Hubbard’s production declined. He recorded 33 tackles with 5.5 tackles for a loss, three sacks and two passes broken up for the year. Hubbard underachieved and had the opportunity to produce more. Despite the disappointing season, Hubbard decided to enter the 2014 NFL Daft. Most projections had Hubbard as a mid-round pick, but he went undrafted.
Hubbard is an example of teams having information on players that the media and draft analysts don’t. Team sources let me know that Hubbard wasn’t drafted was because organizations questioned his personal makeup and had character concerns about him. Even before the 2014 NFL Draft, WalterFootball.com heard from sources that Alabama didn’t make much a pitch for him to comeback for his senior year. On top of that, we’ve now heard that many with the Crimson Tide were happy for Hubbard to leave. In the end, many teams questioned bringing Hubbard into their locker rooms.
After going undrafted, Hubbard made a great choice in signing with the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay has needed to get some more edge-rushing talent to go with Clay Matthews. Julius Peppers is only a short-term solution, while Nick Perry has totaled only six sacks in across first two seasons while dealing with injuries.
Hubbard is a great fit in the Packers’ 3-4 defense, and he could be a nice developmental project behind their veterans. Green Bay also has a strong locker room that could help Hubbard mature into a professional. He didn’t make the most out of his collegiate career, but the Packers’ organization was a perfect choice for him to try to become a better pro.
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