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Packers Return the Quickest Player to Defense
After spending two seasons at Wyoming intercepting six passes, Rico Gafford signed with the Packers in January as a receiver but has since switched back to cornerback.
GREEN BAY, Wisconsin: Rico Gafford has an old job and a new number.
Gafford was moved from receiver to cornerback by the Green Bay Packers, who also gave him jersey number 37.
The new role isn’t really that new.
Gafford played his final two years of collegiate football at Wyoming, where he was named to the Mountain West Conference all-star team in 2016 after intercepting two passes as a junior and four passes as a senior.
In 2018, Josh Allen, the quarterback, stole the show at Wyoming’s pro day. Sammie Gafford ran a 40-yard dash in 4.22 seconds. At the Scouting Combine that year, it was a tenth of a second quicker than any other cornerback.
After the game, Gafford remarked, “I heard from a few scouts that they had me at 4.24, 4.25, 4.27, stuff like that.” I thought it felt good. It’s a game changer for me that the scouts ended the day with a 4.2 on all of their clocks and everything because I came in wanting them to have a 4.35 or higher. So hopefully my name gets called when it’s time for the draft.
It wasn’t. During his rookie training camp, Gafford stayed undrafted and joined the Tennessee Titans, whose offensive coordinator was coach Matt LaFleur. After signing with the Oakland Raiders and switching to offense, he was unable to make the roster. Late in the 2019 season, he caught his first pass of the career, a 49-yard touchdown against the Titans.
During his time with the Raiders, Gafford stated, “The last two years, I was in and out of roles, whether it was offense or defense.” “So, I knew going into this offseason that I was going to be playing wide receiver 100 percent and that I would have to fully dedicate myself to working on my craft and improving as a receiver in order for me to become a guy that is playing on Sundays.”
He trained camped with the Cardinals and Bills in 2021. After the season, he signed a futures contract and worked out for the Packers.
From a roster management standpoint, the position switch makes sense for the Packers. They have drafted three receivers and added seasoned player Sammy Watkins since acquiring Gafford in January. The only veteran the Packers added was Keisean Nixon, a player in Snoop Dogg’s youth league, and they passed on drafting a cornerback.
He set a record in the 100-meter dash at the Iowa State Meet while attending Dowling Catholic Central High School in West Des Moines, Iowa. He attended Iowa Western College for his first two years following high school in an attempt to convert his exceptional speed into a significant NFL opportunity.
During his senior year, he told GoReivers.com, “That’s the main reason I do this.” “I’ve given my whole life to this, so it’ll hurt me not to get there, and I just work every day and I pray and do everything I can to have to get there.”
In his native Des Moines, Gafford launched Rico’s, a restaurant, with his father and a business associate. It’s his heart and soul, not just his name. He has mixed drinks and cleaned dishes. His souvenirs are arranged on the walls. Some of his favorite dishes are on the menu.
“The front door literally has my name on it,” he said to The Wyoming News. “I own a portion of it. I found it to be very important.
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