Green Bay Packers: Ka’dar Hollman making a case for playing time

Green Bay Packers’ rookie Ka’dar Hollman has been impressive since joining the team and could end up playing plenty of meaningful snaps during the regular season.

For a Green Bay Packers team that is looking to bounce back after missing the playoffs the last two seasons, this 2019 draft class is going to play a significant role in whether or not they are able to right the ship and maximize Aaron Rodgers’ final years with the team.

We’ve heard plenty about the early-round draft picks, such as Rashan Gary, Darnell Savage, and Elgton Jenkins – and rightfully so – however, the biggest surprise so far may be the sixth-round pick, Ka’dar Hollman out of Toledo.

With 4.39 speed, a 38″ vertical, and a fiery, in your face competitor, Hollman caught the eye of the coaching staff back in OTAs and has been able to carry that momentum over into Training Camp and into the preseason.

Hollman has been consistently winning his one-on-one battles in practice and with injuries to Kevin King and Josh Jackson, he’s been running with the first and second team defenses. So those victories of his are coming against Green Bay’s better offensive players.

Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator Mike Pettine had this to say about Hollman after one of those practices:

"“He’s been up with the ones and the twos most of the time, so it’s not like he’s kicking butt in the JV game and feeling good about it. He’s been up against some of our better guys and more than held his own.”"

The aspect of Hollman’s game that has really stood out to Pettine has been his ability in press-man coverage. Hollman has shown that he can be a sticky defender who is tough for receivers to shake.

"“I like Ka’dar. He’s intense, you can tell he loves football. He’s a guy that’s been real good at the press man aspect of it,” Pettine said. “He’s had practices where you really have to go back and look to see if a ball got caught on him. He’s done a good job.”"

Pettine’s defense is built around having cornerbacks that can hold their own in man coverage. While Jackson is likely going to be higher on the depth chart than Hollman, truthfully, Hollman’s ability in man coverage makes him a better fit for Pettine’s scheme than Jackson who was known more as a zone defender coming out of Iowa.

While I’ve been able to watch Hollman up close during a few Training Camp practices, it was in the first preseason game against the Houston Texans that all of Packer Nation saw Hollman’s playmaking abilities on full display.

Hollman finished the game with two tackles, one pass deflection, and undercut a poorly thrown pass from Texans’ quarterback Joe Webb for his first NFL interception.

It hasn’t taken very long but Hollman is beginning to make a name for himself with the Green Bay Packers. Given the likelihood of injuries occurring, his ability in man coverage, along with what he’s put on film so far, at this point, I would expect to see plenty of Hollman on the field this season.

If you haven’t been watching Ka’dar Hollman already, he is a player to keep your eyes on for the remainder of the preseason.