Could the Packers’ Next Star Safety Be Hiding in This Surprising Draft Pick?
In the final edition of our positional discussions, it’s time to turn our attention to safety. The Green Bay Packers don’t need a whole ton of help at the top of the depth chart at the position, but there’s still a chance for the team to add a safety via the draft. Let’s take a look at the Packers’ current depth chart and what the draft could have in store at the position.
Green Bay Packers Safety Depth Chart
The Packers lost Zayne Anderson to the Miami Dolphins in free agency, but the team returns its top three players at the position from 2025: Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams and Javon Bullard, who usually starts in the slot. The team also returns Kitan Oladapo, who has been the Packers’ fifth safety for the last two seasons and is currently the backup slot option behind Bullard.
Green Bay gave Johnathan Baldwin a decent investment last offseason, giving him the second-most guarantees of an undrafted rookie in the Packers’ 2025 class. It’s possible that if the team keeps five at the position, Baldwin could end up on the 53-man roster. With that being said, the Packers’ safeties played a lot more special teams snaps than their cornerback counterparts have over recent seasons, but that should change now that special teams ace cornerback Benjamin St-Juste has signed with Green Bay. Maybe, with the addition of St-Juste, the Packers just keep four at the position moving forward.
Safety Consensus Draft Board Rankings
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#18: Dillon Thieneman, Oregon
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#24: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo
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#59: A.J. Haulcy, LSU (Packers pre-draft visitor)
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#90: Jalon Kilgore, South Carolina
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#93: Zakee Wheatley, Penn State
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#108: Genesis Smith, Arizona
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#128: VJ Payne, Kansas State
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#153: Michael Taaffe, Texas
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#164: Jakobe Thomas, Miami
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#181: Louis Moore, Indiana
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#200: Bishop Fitzgerald, USC
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#205: Robert Spears-Jennings, Oklahoma
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#224: Cole Wisniewski, Texas Tech
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#233: Kendal Daniels, Oklahoma
As already mentioned, the Packers don’t have much of a need at safety, but they have brought in LSU safety A.J. Haulcy as one of the team’s highest-rated pre-draft visitors. It’s worth mentioning that Haulcy also made visits to the Seattle Seahawks and Miami Dolphins, the other two organizations in the league run by former Green Bay front office members.
Last year, I was told that the Packers had a significant interest in safety Nick Emmanwori, who ended up going to the Seahawks, despite not having a need at the safety position. Maybe, for whatever reason, Green Bay is willing to be “oversigned” at the safety positions because it will at minimum help them a good amount on special teams.
Beyond Haulcy, the Packers have brought in two other safeties for visits: Jacob Thomas of James Madison and Juwon Gaston of Middle Tennessee. Both of them are expected to be undrafted free agents, unlike Haulcy, who is expected to come off the board on Day 2 of the draft.
If you want a fun story to track, Texas Tech’s Cole Wisniewski was born and raised in Sparta, Wisconsin before attending North Dakota State, where he played with a powerhouse FCS team. At 6’3” and 219 pounds, he’s one of the bigger safeties in this class.
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Do you think the Packers make a pick at safety? Who will it be? Fire off your thoughts in the comments section.
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