Defensive backs Javon Bullard, Evan Williams and Kalen King — all draft picks of the Green Bay Packers in 2024 — enjoyed an interception-filled weekend at training camp.
Bullard, a second-round pick, produced what would have been a pick-six of quarterback Jacob Eason on Saturday.
On Sunday, Williams celebrated his 23rd birthday by intercepting Sean Clifford to end the second-team offense’s two-minute sequence. Through six practices, Williams has three interceptions.
King also joined the mix on Sunday. On the field for first-team reps, King — a seventh-rounder out of Penn State — jumped a short pass to Christian Watson while playing Cover-2 and might have taken the interception of Jordan Love back for a touchdown.
“Obviously, we’re all competitors so we all want to make plays and be playmakers back there,” Bullard said Saturday.
Of course, interceptions during training camp are a double-edged sword. While the defense is creating them, the quarterback is turning the ball over.
But the Packers need more playmakers on defense after intercepting only seven passes total during the 2023 season.
Can Bullard, Williams and King help the Packers start taking the ball away? It’s been an incredible start to camp for Jeff Hafley’s defense in the takeaway department.
“They say a pick-a-day makes the bad feelings go away,” Williams said, via Wes Hodkiewicz of Packers.com. “It’s been a good little streak. I think just our whole defense, we probably have more than double-digit interceptions, probably around 15, in the first week of camp. And that’s definitely something to be proud of.”
More help could be on the way. Kitan Oladapo, a rookie safety out of Oregon State, will eventually return from offseason toe surgery. Oladapo intercepted two passes during his final collegiate season.