The Green Bay Packers added some help to their secondary in the 2024 NFL draft over the weekend.
The Packers took former Georgia safety Javon Bullard in the second round of the this year’s draft, marking the second safety off the board as the No. 58 pick behind Tyler Nubin of Minnesota. Green Bay also added safeties Evan Williams (Oregon) and Kitan Oladapo (Oregon State) in the fourth and fifth rounds respectively.
What does Bullard bring to a loaded Green Bay defense?
The answer to that question, in short, is versatility. Bullard (5-foot-11, 198 pounds) starred at both nickelback and safety during his career in Athens.
At nickelback, Bullard earned Defensive MVP honors in both the College Football Playoff semifinal in the Peach Bowl and the national championship game as a sophomore in 2022. He moved to safety in 2023 and didn’t miss a beat, earning second-team All-SEC honors after helping Georgia to a 13-1 season.
The Milledgeville, Georgia, native is a true testament to the development taking place in Athens. Bullard was recruited lightly coming out of Baldwin High School. He was considered a three-star recruit, rated as the No. 634 player overall in the 2021 class, per 247Sports. He exceeded expectations as a Bulldog and went on to become another highly-drafted defensive back in the Kirby Smart era.
In Green Bay, new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley will have plenty of options when it comes to fitting Bullard into his 4-3 scheme. While UGA primarily deploys a 3-4 scheme, Smart’s Dawgs play with a hybrid model that utilizes players who can play multiple positions.
In 32 career games at Georgia, Bullard totaled 114 tackles, eight tackles for loss, four sacks, eight pass deflections, four interceptions and one fumble recovery.
There’s a real chance that the Packers defense starts four Bulldogs in 2024. Bullard joins cornerback Eric Stokes, linebacker Quay Walker and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, each drafted from Georgia since 2021.