The Lass Word: Pack Hopes to Hit on Rookie Safety

The Green Bay Packers selected three safeties in the NFL draft last April.  They took Javon Bullard in the second round, Evan Williams in the fourth, and Kitan Oladapo in the fifth.  They are hoping at least one of them will break through and become a top flight safety companion to their newly signed free agent Xavier McKinney. 

The Packers are completely rebuilding the safety position this offseason, and with good reason.  The middle of the secondary has been a constant problem area for the team in recent years.  In the playoff loss to the 49ers last January, quarterback Brock Purdy continually hurt Green Bay with throws over the middle.  It is clear that if the Pack is to make a serious run at the Super Bowl in 2024, they have to get better coverage and tackling from the safeties. 

McKinney was considered the best free agent on the market at the position, but he can’t solve all the problems alone.  Last year’s seventh round pick, Anthony Johnson, played a lot of snaps because of injuries, but he hasn’t shown anything special.  The Packers truly need one of the drafted rookies to hit big. 

The law of averages should be with them.  Of all the various positions in pro football, safety has been one of the most elusive for the team in which to draft a star.  In 1990 the Packers hit the ultimate home run by taking Leroy Butler out of Florida State in the second round.  Butler would go on to be one of the key leaders on a Super Bowl championship team, and is now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

Thirty-four drafts have taken place since then.  During that span, the Packers have had just three drafted safeties make a Pro Bowl team while still playing in Green Bay.  It hasn’t happened at all in the last ten seasons.   In 1997 the team picked Darren Sharper in the second round.  He would develop into a two time Pro Bowl player and made first team all pro in 2000.  After leaving Green Bay and signing with the Vikings, Sharper would go to three more Pro Bowls and make another all pro first team. 

In 2005 the Packers drafted Nick Collins.  He made second team all pro three years in a row from 2008 to 2010, and pulled off one of the most iconic plays in team history with his pick six in the Super Bowl following the 2010 season.  He might well have been a Hall of Fame candidate if injuries had not cut his career short. 

The team pulled off a major coup in 2006 with the signing of free agent Charles Woodson.  His seven years patrolling the secondary masked the need to draft a successful safety.  But it would catch up with the team eventually. 

With their first round pick in the 2014 draft the Pack took Alabama safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.  HCD was a Pro Bowl selection in 2016 when he had five interceptions.  But over the course of five seasons it became evident that he did little more than play deep center field and catch overthrows.  Green Bay traded him in 2018, after which he bounced to three different teams and then was out of the league. 

Micah Hyde was a decent pick in the fifth round in 2013.  He went to one Pro Bowl, but that was after he had left Green Bay and was playing for Buffalo. 

In between and amongst those players was a long list of drafted safeties who never panned out.  It included nostalgic names such as Bhawoh Jue (2001) and Aaron Rouse (2007).  Morgan Burnett, taken in the third round in 2010, played eight reasonably solid years for the green and gold, but never achieved a single post season honor.    

In 2015 the Packers took safety Damarious Randall in the first round, but the coaches were determined to play him at corner.   They gave up on the experiment after three mediocre seasons and traded Randall to Cleveland, who did play him at safety.  In 2017 Green Bay selected Josh Jones in the second round.  He was a complete bust and was allowed to walk after two years.   

Darnell Savage looked like the answer after his selection in the first round in 2019.  He was quick to the ball and made the occasional big play.  His pick six in last January’s playoff win over the Cowboys is probably the iconic play of the game.  But Savage dropped too many interceptions, missed too many tackles, and struggled in coverage.  The Packers let him walk in free agency this spring and he signed with the Jaguars. 

In recent years the Packers have taken lower round flyers on folks such as Vernon Scott, Tariq Carpenter and the aforementioned Anthony Johnson Jr.   

So, as you can see, Green Bay is overdue to finally hit on a drafted safety.  Somebody who will develop into a potential all pro, or at least pro bowl caliber player.  Bullard has all the tools and was considered the top safety in the draft.  Williams and Oladapo are raw but loaded with talent.  If just one of them emerges as a star, the middle of the defense is going to be set for years to come.