GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Packers Tight End Spencer Havner has caught six passes in his brief NFL career, but three of those have been for touchdowns.

"I'm proud of Spencer Havner," said coach Mike McCarthy. "He's a young man that's been here for three years, and every time he's been given an opportunity, he's definitely cashed in on it."

Havner's first season was spent on the practice squad, but last year he was added to the 53-man roster.

"(Havner) went out and played very strong on special teams at the conclusion of our season," said McCarthy.

This year Havner is the No. 3 tight end, but his hard work has paid off. He has three touchdowns in the last two games filling in for the injured Jermichael Finley.

"I think (Havner) has a little more ability than people think he does," McCarthy said. "He runs better than people think that he does, and he's been productive. He's got very natural hands. You've always seen that in his time here. I think he's definitely someone you could point to as an example of hard work and doing what you're supposed to do. I'm very proud of him."

Havner started out as a linebacker his first season, but after filling in on practice for the scout team, coaches started to think his best chance to contribute was on offense rather than defense.

McCarthy said, "He would go over there and he'd catch everything. He obviously had a natural ability, a knack for playing the position."

McCarthy said it's common, especially with injuries this time of year, to have players practice at multiple positions when they practice for opposing teams.

"Your receivers play DB, your offensive linemen play defensive linemen, that's a very common practice in the NFL," McCarthy said.

The common occurrence has led to what could be a long future in the green and gold.