Green Bay Packers meet with Oklahoma DB Justin Broiles
By Paul Bretl
It’s that time of the year again in the pre-draft process. The college All-Star games have taken place, and we will begin hearing reports of potential draft prospects that the Green Bay Packers have met with.
Now, I’ll start by saying that the Packers will meet with hundreds of players between now and the draft, so to a degree, these meetings should be taken with a grain of salt. However, this does give us the opportunity to get to know some draft prospects along the way.
Following the Trillion Tropic Bowl, Justin Melo of The Draft Network reported that the Packers were one of several teams to meet with the versatile Oklahoma defensive back Justin Broiles.
Broiles is listed as a safety but played all over the place for the Sooners. Standing 5’11” and weighing 190 pounds, Broiles was on the field for over 1,800 snaps in five seasons, with the bulk of his playing time coming over the last two.
During that two year span, Broiles was targeted 71 times, allowing a completing rate of 74% but holding opponents to only 10 yards per catch. He also logged two interceptions, two pass breakups, and for what it’s worth, was one of PFF’s top-graded tacklers at the safety position in 2021. Broiles lined up mostly in the slot, with 841 career snaps, but he also had 503 snaps as a box defender and 380 as a free safety.
An NFL scout told Melo that Broiles is “an easy study, a warrior I’d want on my team.” Not that it can’t change, but as of now, Broiles is not listed on PFF or The Draft Network’s safety rankings, likely making him a potential UDFA.
The Packers very much have a need to address at safety this offseason, with improved play needed, but also Darnell Savage, Tariq Carpenter, and James Wiggins being the only players under contract for 2023 currently. However, why Broiles likely caught Green Bay’s eye is because of his special teams experience. Broiles has a whopping 560 career snaps on special teams across a number of different units.
With the hiring of Rich Bisaccia and an added emphasis on special teams in free agency with additions like Dallin Leavitt, Keisean Nixon, Eric Wilson, and Rudy Ford, we saw a much improved special teams unit in 2022, with the Packers jumping 10 spots up to 22nd in the annual rankings.