Green Bay Packers: 3 Dark Horse Candidates to Make Final Roster

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MOBILE, AL – JANUARY 30: Safety Christian Uphoff #29 from Illinois State of the National Team warms up before the start of the 2021 Resse’s Senior Bowl at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the campus of the University of South Alabama on January 30, 2021 in Mobile, Alabama. The National Team defeated the American Team 27-24. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /

S Christian Uphoff

Last season we saw the Green Bay Packers roster five safeties, and if we look at this year’s group, the only locks are Darnell Savage and Adrian Amos—meaning that there are potentially three spots up for grabs.

Uphoff is an undrafted rookie who doesn’t have a ton of experience, starting just one year while at Illinois State in 2019 — the MVFC canceled the 2020 season due to COVID-19 — but to his credit, it was an impressive season, and more importantly, he’s a good fit for the Joe Barry defense.

Related Story. A Look at UDFA Christian Uphoff & What he Adds. light

During that 2019 season that spanned 15 games, Uphoff recorded eight pressures, and on 39 targets in coverage, he allowed a completion rate of only 51 percent with two interceptions and eight pass breakups, according to PFF ($$). He also received an invite to the Senior Bowl, where he was voted the top safety on the National team that week.

Sports Illustrated called him an “ideal two-high safety,” which we are going to be seeing a lot of in this new defense, and he’s also a willing tackler—again, an important part of the Barry defense as the safeties are relied on heavily in the run game. Uphoff is also quite versatile, taking 460 snaps as the free safety, 238 from the box, and 234 in the slot.

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