Packers Need Safety; Here Are Best Fit, Riser, Sleeper

Green Bay Packers GM Brian Gutekunst no doubt will be keeping a close eye on the safeties at the Scouting Combine.

INDIANAPOLIS – The Green Bay Packers have an enormous need at safety. Almost all of last year’s snaps are headed to free agency, not that general manager Brian Gutekunst has any reason to want to roll with Darnell Savage, Rudy Ford and Jonathan Owens atop the depth chart again.

Armed with five picks in the first three rounds, Gutekunst should have plenty of options in the 2024 NFL Draft. The process of figuring out who fits and who does not will continue at this week’s Scouting Combine. In trying to find the right players for new coordinator Jeff Hafley’s defense, Gutekunst is not looking for a pure deep safety and a pure box safety.

“I’m particular that they’re those guys are all interchangeable,” he explained. “I think that’s what we’re looking for. You know, I think that really helps your defense from A, being able to be versatile, to just be multiple and flexible, so teams can’t get a bead on what you’re doing.”

Here are four safeties to watch from national media outlets.

Best Fit: Minnesota’s Tyler Nubin

Pro Football Focus listed Iowa’s Cooper DeJean as the team’s ideal first-round pick. The No. 1 goal this offseason, on the other hand, must be improving the middle-of-the-field defense.

From that perspective, “there may be no better” safety prospect than Minnesota’s Tyler Nubin, who could be available with at least the first of Green Bay’s second-round picks.

Over his final three seasons, Nubin (listed at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds) had 12 interceptions. That includes five in 2023. Impressively, he missed 13 tackles in 2021 but a total of 13 the last two years. His 569 defensive snaps included 339 at free safety, 171 in the box and 51 in the slot.

Most To Gain: Georgia’s Javon Bullard

Bullard (listed at 5-foot-11, 195 pounds) isn’t as big as Nubin but he could make a push to be the No. 1 safety with a strong Scouting Combine.

Bullard is coming off back-to-back seasons of two interceptions. Of his 624 defensive snaps in 2023, 510 came in the slot, 64 came in the box and just 12 came at free safety. PFF charged him with just 14-of-26 passing for 119 yards with a forced incompletion rate of 26.9 percent. He missed 12 tackles the last two years.

In a perfect world, Gutekunst said, the safeties and slot defender are interchangeable.

Rising Stock: Washington State’s Jaden Hicks

The Draft Network’s Justin Melo selected five safeties who could raise their draft stock at the Combine. Alongside Nubin and the next player on this list was Washington State’s Jaden Hicks.

“Vertical speed has been questioned by scouts, so Hicks will have to run an acceptable 40 to check that box, but Hicks is a fluid mover that makes smooth transitions,” Melo wrote.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 212 pounds, Hicks had two interceptions and six passes defensed but missed 14 tackles in 2023. His 788 snaps included 456 in the box, 200 at free safety and 103 in the slot.

Sleeper: Texas Tech’s Tyler Owens

Owens is considered a late-round option, even though he has a lot of experience and should rank among the fastest players at the Combine. He’s one of PFF’s five sleepers worth watching – not just among safeties but overall.

After playing in a limited role at Texans from 2019 through 2021, Owens was a starter for the Red Raiders in 2023. He had relatively meager production (zero interceptions, two passes defensed, one tackle for loss), but he’s got eye-popping potential. Listed at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, he was a member of Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List” for The Athletic.

Of his 570 defensive snaps last season, he played 210 at free safety, 174 in the slot and 152 in the box.

Leaders of the Pack: Consensus

NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks: Minnesota’s Tyler Nubin

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler: Minnesota’s Tyler Nubin.

For Brugler, Nubin is No. 41 and Hicks is No. 43, with four more in the Top 100. Of Hicks, Brugler wrote: “He has the speed to play high and the toughness to play low.”

ESPN’s Matt Miller: Minnesota’s Tyler Nubin

For Miller, Nubin is No. 43 and Miami’s Kamren Kinchens is No. 44. Miller compared Nubin to Broncos standout Justin Simmons and Kinchens to Falcons star Jessie Bates III.

Pro Football Focus: Minnesota’s Tyler Nubin

The 33rd Team: Minnesota’s Tyler Nubin

The Draft Network: Minnesota’s Tyler Nubin

In his The Draft Network scouting report, Nubin is hailed for having “arguably the best ball skills and instincts” in the safety class. He’d fit more toward the line of scrimmage rather than the post safety that must cover the deep middle of the field.

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