NFL players are no strangers to making the leap over to a film or television career. A transition that sometimes appears as seamless as a well-run pass route. Jim Brown, Carl Weathers, Merlin Olsen and Fred Dryer are a few of the many NFL players that traded in blocking sleds for the other kind of blocking on stage.

Packers WR Greg Jennings will make his network acting debut with a cameo appearance as a lab technician on the CBS crime-drama Criminal Minds (via the Packers official Web site). Finally, an NFL player involved in a criminal investigation that is purely fictional.

Jennings knocked out his scene in one day in March, and even got his own trailer with his name on it. The crew made Jennings feel at home by wearing Packers gear. Jennings even scored a speaking role, trading lines with with cast member Shemar Moore (Agent Derek Morgan) in his one scene.

While this may be a far cry from punching a horse in the mouth as Alex Karras famously did in Blazing Saddles, or Fred Williamson killing vampires in From Dusk Till Dawn, this was still a good start for Jennings.

As the cliche says, there are no small roles, only players looking for a career after football.

“It was fun, it was fun,” Jennings said. “I was going in letting them know this is not what I do. I’m on the football field. That’s me, that’s my domain. But the cast members were great, giving me feedback. They opened their arms and helped me as much as possible and tried to make me look as good as possible.”

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