Packers Sign Former Alabama Punter Cody Mandell

The Packers have signed former Alabama Punter Cody Mandell, the team's official website reports.

Mandell, who joined Alabama in 2010 as a walk-on, was pretty good in college, averaging 42.6 yards per punt while solidly landing 58 inside the 20 yard line. 

He was first-team All-SEC as a senior, as well as finalist for a pair of awards. 

He will wear number 9 with the Packers after a brief stint with the Cowboys last offseason, presumably doing so while competing with Tim Masthay for the starting job. 

The move to acquire him was announced by general manager Ted Thompson. 

Packers, Clinton-Dix Agree to Rookie Contract

The Packers have agreed to a rookie contract with first round draft pick Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Tom Silverstein reports.

Clinton-Dix, a two time Champion Safety out of Alabama, was taken 21st overall by the Pack earlier this month, the same number he will wear on his jersey this season. 

As of now, the financial details of the contract have not been released, although its amount of years has, as it will unsurprisingly follow the four-year with an option for a fifth set-up given annually to all first rounders in hopes that they will eventually become successful.

Packers UFA Signee Hubbard was Told He'd Be Taken in Rounds 2-4

It is a well known fact to all of us that things don't always go our way.

We're told constantly that good things will happen, yet we often end up getting the worst case scenario.

In few places is this more true than with recent Packers UFA Signee Adrian Hubbard.

Hubbard, a two time National Champion at Alabama, decided to forgo his last year of NCAA eligibility earlier this offseason, after being told by the draft's advisory committee that he'd likely go sometime between the event's second and fourth rounds, the Outside Linebacker recently revealed to the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

And with good reason. During his final two years at the SEC powerhouse, Hubbard was dominant for the always-winning Crimson Tide, collecting an impressive 74 tackles including 16.5 for a loss.

Still, a lack of quickness and a rumored attitude problem caused #42 to go undrafted, forcing him to take the lesser-wanted job with the Packers.

Whether or not the two will get lucky with the unlikely move is obviously yet to be known, although some do consider Hubbard's not being taken a gift for the defensively-bad Pack. 

I guess we'll find out if that's actually true during preseason.

Packers draft pick Clinton-Dix on relationship with Eddie Lacy: "We're pretty close"

When the Packers drafted Alabama S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix Thursday night, you gotta imagine that he and Sophomore RB Eddie Lacy were thinking the same thing. 

The duo, who won two national championships during their two seasons (2011-2012) together with the Crimson Tide, are known to have had a solid relationship during their college days, something Clinton-Dix confirmed during a recent interview with the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Tyler Dunne:

"Me and him are pretty good, pretty close," Clinton-Dix said. "Going up against him every day in practice kind of made me upset because he’d give me a little spin move every now and then... I'll be glad to be back with him in Green Bay."

While it's currently unclear how much this familiarity will help the two's chemistry in the foreseeable future, I can't see it hurting anything. The two seem to be friends, so while it may not give the Packers any on-field advantages this fall it's likely that Lacy being on the roster will at least make Clinton-Dix's transition to the pros easier.

I mean, aren't personal relationships worth something in the modern world? They're not necessarily a huge factor in success or lack of success, but they have to matter a little bit, don't they?