The Green Bay Packers are going to address the safety position in the draft and do so somewhat early on. With the important role that athletic testing plays in the Packers’ evaluation of prospects, here are the NFL Combine’s top performers at a key position for Green Bay.
With Gutekunst at the helm as the lead personnel decision-maker, there has been a strong connection between the bulk of his draft picks and how they fared on the Relative Athletic Score (RAS) scale.
Of Gutekunst’s 54 draft picks who have logged a RAS, 74 percent have scored at least 8.0, with nearly 50 percent of that group scoring above 9.0. Also, in general, the earlier the pick, the higher the RAS.
To learn more about RAS and its connection to the Packers’ draft classes, click here.
Gutekunst has made three safety selections in his first six drafts, and while none were in the 9.0 or higher range, Darnell Savage, Tariq Carpenter, and Anthony Johnson Jr. were all within that 74 percent quartile, scoring at least 8.1 on the RAS scale.
“It’s become less important,” said Hafley about the size of players at the safety position in today’s NFL. “You’ve seen guys back there that can be anywhere from 190 to 205 or even bigger.
“I’ve coached some good ones who are 215. I’m not a guy who’s just gonna say you have to fit this mold and be 6-2, 205, or 210 to play a certain position. I think it’s more trait-based. Now if you can a guy with those traits and he’s bigger, I think it helps but I think you can have both.”
Below, you will find all of the safeties who registered a RAS of at least 8.0 at this year’s Combine.
Ryan Watts, Texas: 9.84
Cole Bishop, Utah: 9.81
Dominique Hampton, Washington: 9.73
Jaylon Carlies, Missouri: 9.50
Isaiah Johnson, Syracuse: 9.13
Marcellas Dial, South Carolina: 8.93
Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, Texas Tech: 8.87
Jaylin Simpson, Auburn: 8.76
Millard Bradford, TCU: 8.32
Jaylen Key, Alabama: 8.25
Kitan Oladapo: Oregon State: 8.23
Of note, a name you didn’t see listed was Kamren Kinchens from Miami, a popular pick for the Packers in the second round of mock drafts. He posted a RAS of just 2.07, which included a 4.65-second 40-yard dash.
The lowest RAS from a member of the secondary that Gutekunst drafted belonged to cornerback Shemar Jean-Charles – a late Day 3 pick – who scored 4.24. The other eight selections were all above 8.0.
The biggest void on the Packers’ roster currently resides with the safety position. The only players under contract at the moment are Zayne Anderson, Benny Sapp, and Anthony Johnson Jr.
Day 2 of the draft, in particular, should provide the Packers with options to add to safety, but with how important this position appears to be to Jeff Hafley’s defense, and the wide variety of hats the deep safety has to fill in his system, adding a veteran in free agency to have a more immediate impact may be the prudent move for GM Brian Gutekunst.
“I want a guy who can erase things,” said Hafley of the safety position. “We gotta eliminate explosive plays when we play this defense, so if a run hits up the middle, this guy’s gotta come out of the middle field with his hair on fire, he’s gotta be able to get a guy down. I also want him to be a guy, when a ball carrier is wrapped up, he goes and he finishes off the pile.
“I want a guy who can go from sideline to sideline and take the ball away. I think that position has to be a guy with high ball production, meaning he’s gotta be able to intercept the ball. He’s gotta be a guy that can communicate and he’s gotta be a guy that can get guys lined up and make some calls back there and I’d love a guy that can play man, so I guess I’m describing the perfect player to you, but those are some of the traits I’d look for in playing that position.“
Hafley’s Boston College defenses played a heavy dose of Cover-1, and if he intends to do that in Green Bay, the Packers need to add a centerfield-like safety, who can cover a lot of ground and help in both the run and passing games, along with a box safety. Experience playing in the nickel would be valuable as well, with Gutekunst saying at the NFL Combine that he wants the two safety positions and the slot cornerback to be “interchangeable.”
Throughout Gutekunst’s tenure as general manager, when there has been a perceived hole on the roster, he has thrown resources at it, whether that be free agent dollars, draft capital, or in many instances, both. That same approach will be taken at safety this offseason. Through free agency and the draft, the Packers will add multiple players to this position group.
I think it’s an important spot,” said Hafley of the safety position. “I think that guy back in the middle of the field, when things break down – when they throw the ball up in the air, he has to go and get it. I think it’s a very important spot in the defense.”