‘Dream Come True’: J. Michael Sturdivant Extends Packers’ Incredible Streak

GREEN BAY, Wis. – After Friday’s preseason game, Green Bay Packers receiver J. Michael Sturdivant brought a souvenir into the locker room.

It was the ball from his touchdown catch.

Sturdivant didn’t drop the ball, and he didn’t drop the opportunity. According to a source, Sturdivant will make the Packers’ 53-man roster. That means they will have either seven receivers on their initial roster or Savion Williams will start on injured reserve.

Regardless, it was a remarkable accomplishment that kept a remarkable streak alive.

For 22 consecutive years, the Packers have had at least one undrafted rookie make the opening roster.

Sturdivant, who received a $15,000 signing bonus and $200,000 of guaranteed base salary, and edge player Nyjalik Kelly were the best hopes of keeping the streak alive; Kelly was released on Sunday.

“It’d be a dream come true” to make the roster, Sturdivant said after the game. “You dream of making it to the NFL your whole life. Honestly, you put all the work in to make it happen, so it would be a great feeling. But it’s not the end goal. My dream wasn’t just to make the team for a day. It’s going to be a good feeling but, at the end of the day, we’re going to have a season to tackle.”

Sturdivant caught nine passes for a team-high 142 yards in the preseason. He was a force against the Cardinals with six catches for 112 yards and one touchdown. All that production came during the second and third quarters. It was the most receiving yards by a Packers player in the preseason since 2011.

“He played a good chunk of the game with most of our guys out, and he took advantage of it,” coach Matt LaFleur said after the game.”

For an undrafted rookie to make the 53, LaFleur said, “I think they have to have a certain skill-set, but I think one thing that I really like about J-Mike is he is a really intelligent player. I think he learns and grows every day. There’s some failure in there, and he learns from it, and then he doesn’t make the same mistakes. So, I thought he had a pretty strong camp.”

Good enough to beat the odds, making this a triumphant resolution after going undrafted.

“Yeah, I’m never going to forget that feeling for the rest of my life so, obviously, every time I step in the building, I have that drive,” he said early in camp. “But, at the end of the day, I’m playing football the same way I would have if I came here first overall.

“It’s the same mentality every play. You’re trying to go make a play, and you can’t really think about too much. What happens after the preseason, you have to continue to focus on the next day. So, I’m not really too focused on what happens after the preseason. I focus on making every day better.”

Sturdivant is a high-end physical talent, which no doubt gave him the nod over equally productive Will Sheppard.

J. Michael Sturdivant is a WR prospect in the 2026 draft class. He scored a 9.96 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 19 out of 4190 WR from 1987 to 2026.https://t.co/OPOymFg1F3 pic.twitter.com/TcWjkLrmhH
— RAS.football (@MathBomb) April 16, 2026

After spending the 2021 and 2022 seasons at Cal and the 2023 and 2024 seasons at UCLA, he finished his career at Florida in 2025. He set career highs with 65 receptions for 755 yards and seven touchdowns in 2022. As a senior, he caught 27 passes for 406 yards and three touchdowns.

“I attack every single day the exact same, no matter if I had a million catches the day before or I had no catches the day before,” Sturdivant said. “You’ve got to wash it, you’ve got to be able to move onto the next day, you’ve got to be able to perform when practice comes around the next day.”

Sturdivant is the second member of his family to reach the NFL. His sister is a Cowboys cheerleader.

22 Years and Counting

Here is the list of undrafted rookies to make the roster over the last 22 years. Of note, only Cox will be on the initial roster in 2026.

2026: WR J. Michael Sturdivant

2025: DT Nazir Stackhouse

2024: K Brayden Narveson (waivers)

2023: OLB Brenton Cox, WR Malik Heath, RB Emanuel Wilson

2022: LS Jack Coco

2021: DT Jack Heflin

2020: LB Krys Barnes

2019: WR Darrius Shepherd

2018: QB Tim Boyle, LB James Crawford, S Raven Greene, OL Alex Light

2017: OLB Chris Odom, CB Linzy Pipkens, P Justin Vogel

2016: S Kentrell Brice, QB Joe Callahan, S Marwin Evans, CB Josh Hawkins, RB Jhurell Pressley

2015: CB La’Darius Gunter, RB Alonzo Harris

2014: OLB Jayrone Elliott, DT Mike Pennel

2013: S Chris Banjo, OLB Andy Mulumba, OL Lane Taylor

2012: OL Don Barclay, WR Jarrett Boykin, OLB Dez Moses, S Sean Richardson

2011: S M.D. Jennings, LB Jamari Lattimore, OLB Vic So'oto

2010: OL Nick McDonald, CB Sam Shields, OLB Frank Zombo

2009: OL Evan Dietrch-Smith

2008: RB Kregg Lumpkin

2007: DT Daniel Muir

2006: DE Jason Hunter

2005: LB Roy Manning, OL Chris White

One playmaking receiver, one draft pick and one promising quarterback are among today's roster moves for the Packers.

Catch up with the latest on the road to 5⃣3⃣ ⬇️https://t.co/SpL051pB31
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 30, 2026

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