NFL Nation

          Packers mailbag: Hope for Khyri Thornton

          GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Each week, we'll take questions about the Green Bay Packers. They can be submitted via Twitter using the hashtag #PackersMail.

          This week, we will discuss the following topics:

          • What kind of an impact, if any, second-year defensive end Khyri Thornton can make.

          • Rookie receiver Ty Montgomery’s role.

          • The backup outside linebackers.

          • Undrafted rookies to watch.

          Demovsky: Not sure how much camp you got to watch, but Thornton did not get much done. The fact that he sustained a hamstring injury late in the preseason probably helped the Packers. Otherwise, they would have had to carry him on the roster - you don't cut third-round picks - even though he wasn't ready to play. I asked defensive line coach Mike Trgovac about Thornton this week, and he said Thornton was like a lot of guys who come into the NFL and find the transition difficult. But Trgovac also suggested maybe Thornton wasn't as bad as he looked. "I went back and looked at all of his preseason snaps, and he made some good plays," Trgovac said. "So this will be a big offseason for him." Trgovac also called Thornton "a work in progress" but added that "it's going to be up to him to get himself to the next level," which suggests the Packers want to see him work harder this year.

          Demovsky: It will be interesting to see how they use Montgomery and if they find some non-traditional ways to get him the ball because let's face it, the No. 4 receiver does not typically get a lot of passes thrown his way. Now, Montgomery wasn't at OTAs this week because he attended the NFLPA's rookie premiere event, so we didn't get to see him at all. But he certainly will get a shot at the kick-return job and there's also reason to think they could use him out of the backfield as a ball carrier.

          Demovsky: It was a great chance for some of the other outside linebackers to get snaps given that three of the top four guys that position - Julius Peppers, Mike Neal and Nick Perry - did not practice on Thursday and the other, Clay Matthews, worked exclusively at inside linebacker. So Jayrone Elliott was at right outside linebacker and Adrian Hubbard at left with the No. 1 defense. Undrafted rookie Jamauria Rasco also got some snaps on the left side. Elliott got into the backfield a couple of times, but it was usually against the No. 2 offensive line, and the blocking isn't full speed because contact is limited during these practices. But the point is, Elliott's quickness showed up again and again. Hubbard is an intriguing prospect because of his size (6-foot-6, 257 pounds) and after spending all of last season on the practice squad, he should be more seasoned this year.

          Demovsky: I'm going to give you five, and here's why: I asked an NFL scout that same question shortly after the Packers announced their list of undrafted rookies, and he gave me the following five names - defensive tackle Lavon Hooks (Mississippi), receiver Ricky Collins (Texas A&M-Commerce), receiver Adrian Coxson (Stony Brook), cornerback LaDarius Gunter (Miami) and linebacker Tavarus Dantzler (Bethune-Cookman). With only one open OTA practice so far, it was hard to watch all of them, but they are definitely worth tracking during the next several months.