The Packers kept 10 rookies on their inaugural 53-man roster to start the season. That didn't come as a major revelation for the reigning Super Bowl champions since hanging onto several young players and developing them is how general manager Ted Thompson rolls.

Out of the deep class of newcomers, the one player who could make the biggest impact right off the bat would be a surprise. After a lot of attention was paid to the playmaking skills exhibited by second-round receiver/kick returner Randall Cobb the early part of training camp before he suffered bruised knees, undrafted linebacker Vic So'oto stood out down the stretch.

"You watch a guy come in and you don't know what to expect out of him, and he's out there making plays and you know he's got a great shot to make the team," said Frank Zombo, who, like So'oto, is an outside linebacker and made the team coming out of the preseason as an undrafted rookie last year.

The indefinite loss of Zombo to a broken shoulder blade Aug. 19, incidentally the same day on which So'oto turned 24, opened a door for So'oto to not only make a run at a roster spot but also have the coaches' giving consideration to using him on defense in Thursday's season opener.

So'oto sealed his roster fate with the Packers with a dominant performance in the Sept. 1 preseason finale against Kansas City, which played its starters on offense for most of the game. So'oto produced 1.5 sacks, forced a turnover on a fumble by Chiefs lead back Jamaal Charles and scored on a 33-yard interception return in the third quarter to put Green Bay ahead 20-16 in a game it held on to win 20-19.

"It means the world to me," said So'oto, one of three undrafted rookies to survive the Packers' final roster cutdown.

So'oto wasn't invited to the scouting combine in February after an injury-marred, six-year college career at BYU, where he bounced around at a few positions.

"It's been a tough road. I can't lie," So'oto said. "People doubted me. I had coaches in my school actually say, 'What are you going to do now?,' right after (last year's) football season. It kind of hurt me. My wife said, 'Well, what's plan B?' I said, 'There's no plan B. I'm playing football.'

"I had a daughter in January, so going through that whole thing where she's waking up every two hours and still making it to workouts ... it's just putting your head down, keeping your legs moving and hopefully one day you get a shot."

The 6-3, 263-pound So'oto backed up All-Pro Clay Matthews on the left side most of camp. So'oto, though, did get some exposure on the right side and could push starter Erik Walden for playing time at the outset, especially in passing situations where So'oto has thrived. So'oto led the Packers with 2.5 sacks in the preseason.

--Green Bay's other undrafted rookies are safety M.D. Jennings and Jamari Lattimore, another outside linebacker who would be Walden's backup with Zombo out.

The 6-0, 187-pound Jennings, a product of tiny Arkansas State, flashed in the preseason with 15 tackles to rank third on the defense and an interception. Jennings also showed good hands on special teams with two recoveries of onside kicks in the last two games.

"He earned a spot on our football team," head coach Mike McCarthy said Sunday. "At the end of the day, we felt the film spoke for itself. He did it every day in practice - he just kept getting better, kept getting better, kept getting better. I think he's a fine young football player."

--All but three members of Thompson's 2011 draft class of 10 players made the final cut: offensive tackle Derek Sherrod (first round), receiver/returner Randall Cobb (second), running back Alex Green (third), cornerback Davon House (fourth), tight end D.J. Williams (fifth), inside linebacker D.J. Smith (sixth) and tight end Ryan Taylor (seventh).

None of those rookies will have a starting role at the start of the season.

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