The Green Bay Packers not only added two very talented safeties through the draft to ensure that there would be a worthy player opposite Xavier McKinney for next season and beyond, they also added a cornerback in the 7th round that was once thought of as a first round draft pick.
Javon Bullard
Javon Bullard was arguably the best safety prospect in the 2024 NFL draft. As a strong safety Bullard won’t have to rely too heavily on his ability to close gaps in coverage, but he is an aggressive and energetic player that comes from a Georgia defense that Green Bay has been quite familiar with over the past few years.
While occasional coverage gaps have been pointed out as a potential weakness in his game, Bullard can easily play a nickel as well as a strong safety role at the NFL level if he puts in the work. Bullard’s excitement to be a Packer couldn’t be more welcome, especially when his raw talent and athleticism leaves only coachability and enthusiasm to be desired.
Evan WIlliams
Evan Williams is the hard hitting linebacker-type safety that every team loves to have in a defensive rotation. Some people wrote this off as a special teams pick, and while he can surely excel in that position (Rich Bisaccia rejoice), Williams can also bring some heat to the defensive side of the ball.
Williams has sometimes been described as a liability in open space, but his downhill ability to tackle players near the line of scrimmage will undoubtedly be a welcome change when compared to the passive style of defense the Packers have sometimes fallen into over the past several years.
Williams had an excellent 2022 season at Fresno State which plays into the stereotype of the types of players Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has preferred adding over the last few seasons, which are guys that had really good seasons before descending slightly in a fashion that tanks their draft stock before Gutekunst steals them off of the draft board. This concept will be addressed again shortly with Kalen King, but for past examples see Jordan Love and Romeo Doubs
Williams and Bullard will surely battle it out in camp to see who gets to take the majority of the snaps opposite Xavier McKinney as a starting safety, but these two can surely be used in a healthy rotation in order to net the best results for the Packers. A hard hitting safety will almost always be on the lineup with these two new additions being on the roster.
Kalen King
The Packers have a good rotation of players behind star cornerback Jaire Alexander, from Carrington Valetnine, to Keisean Nixon, to Eric Stokes, there’s not much that can go wrong. With that being said, Kalen King has been marked as one of the biggest steals of the draft. After a promising 2022 season (told you we’d get back to the common theme), King had a down year in 2023.
While you’d ideally like to see an ascending player, King’s recent issues can mostly be coached away, and he can truly compete for a starting role next to Jaire Alexander on the depth chart in the coming years. Don’t just take my word for it though, here’s All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardener’s take on Kalen King:
Zack is a college student and cheesehead from California. When he’s not in class or writing, you can find him talking about the Packers on Twitter at @Zack_Upchurch.
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