GREEN BAY, Wis. — Ted Thompson had drafted at least one offensive lineman in his first 10 years as Packers general manager. While that streak is now over, Green Bay might have come away with a steal in undrafted free agency.

Matt Rotheram has the talent to make the distinction of the Packers not drafting an offensive lineman nothing more than a technicality. With the amount of attention that the former University of Pittsburgh right guard was receiving, it’s clear that Green Bay landed itself one of the draft’s highest-priority free agents.

"A lot of teams were contacting me at the end of the draft," Rotheram said. "Your phone is going off so much, I was ignoring calls from teams just because I was already on the phone with two other teams and my agent was on the phone with two teams.

"I couldn’t even pick up the phone for everybody. It’s all coming so fast."

Rotheram had decided that if the Packers called, he would be answering no matter how tied up he was in a different conversation. The 6-foot-5, 325-pound lineman was brought into Green Bay for a pre-draft visit right after his Pro Day. Rotheram believes he was the first player to visit the Packers this year.

After getting over the "shock and awe" of being around the Lambeau Field facilities and seeing the Lombardi trophies during his visit, Rotheram settled in and realized this was where he wanted to end up.

"The Packers have always shown interest in me," Rotheram said. "They’ve never done any kind of smokescreen with me or anything. They were always straight and upfront about what they saw in me, what they liked about me. I really appreciated that."

Of the 15 free-agent contracts he was offered, Rotheram decided it impossible to turn down Green Bay.

What the Packers are getting is a four-year starter who was a second-team All-ACC selection (as voted by the league’s head coaches) in his senior year.

Rotheram was a technically sound mauler in the run game at Pittsburgh. No offensive guard in all of college football received a higher run-blocking grade in 2014 from ProFootballFocus than Rotheram. The only guard in the draft with a lower percentage of negatively graded plays was Detroit’s first-round pick, Laken Tomlinson.

"I think what I do is I’m very consistent, which is why I think ProFootballFocus would give me such a high grade because I really don’t make errors in the run game," Rotheram said. "I’m consistent in blocking my assignments and getting some movement and doing what I need to do. Let the plays break, get out of there."

There’s plenty of game film to show how dominant Rotheram can be in the run game, but he believes it was his work on the practice field for three years against former college teammate Aaron Donald (who won the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award last season) that best prepared him for the next level.

"(Donald) is one of the better defensive tackles in the NFL right now as a rookie, and he was a guy I played against (every day)," Rotheram said. "I can’t think of a better pass-rushing defensive tackle to practice against."

Rotheram also squared off against Iowa’s Carl Davis (who was drafted in the third round by Baltimore) this past season and won more battles than he lost.

The questions surrounding Rotheram — and the reasons he ultimately wasn’t drafted — were about his lack of athleticism and his average pass-blocking skills.

Rotheram acknowledged that "as an undrafted guy, the odds aren’t in your favor of making the team." But part of the reason for choosing Green Bay was that he saw it as the "best fit" and "best possible situation."

Though the Packers’ starting offensive line is set, and it’s safe to assume that versatile backups JC Tretter and Don Barclay will make the 53-man roster, Rotheram will have every chance to round out that group.

Rotheram’s main competition will be against Lane Taylor, a now-third-year guard who joined Green Bay as an undrafted free agent in 2013. Taylor has underwhelmed in his limited on-field opportunities, which could open the door for the Packers to want to begin grooming a new undrafted guard.

"It’s cool to finally be here," Rotheram said. "Your whole life since you’re in middle school, high school, it’s ‘I want to play in the NFL.’ Now I’m here."

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