Packers meet with number of DBs early on at NFL Combine

In addition to the on-field athletic testing and measurements that will take place, the NFL Combine gives teams the opportunity to sit down with potential draft prospects as well. For the Green Bay Packers early on, there has been a heavy emphasis in these meetings on the cornerback and safety positions.

Below you will find the list of defensive backs that the Packers have reportedly met with so far.

Jordan Battle, S, Alabama

Brian Branch, S, Alabama

Kelee Ringo, CB, Georgia

JL Skinner, S, Boise State

Rejzohn Wright, CB, Oregon State

Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon

Eli Ricks, CB, Alabama

The fact that Green Bay has met with this many defensive backs really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, either. Safety is arguably the Packers’ biggest need this offseason — or close to it — while the cornerback position is one of the deepest in this year’s draft class, something Brian Gutekunst discussed recently at the Combine. In general, when discussing the secondary, Gutey called things “a little bit unsettled.”

Safety will almost certainly have to be addressed somewhat early on in the draft and potentially in free agency as well. Cornerback, meanwhile, doesn’t feel like a major need on paper, but Stokes is coming back from an injury, Rasul Douglas could be in his last season in Green Bay, and it’s not as if depth at a position has stopped Gutekunst from adding to a unit in the past.

As I wrote recently, following 2019 free agency, when the Packers signed Za’Darius and Preston Smith, Gutey then selected Rashan Gary. In 2020, he took Jordan Love to play behind Aaron Rodgers, along with AJ Dillon, while he still had Aaron Jones and Jamal Williams under contract. Then in 2022, Gutey took Quay Walker in Round 1 after he signed De’Vondre Campbell to a new deal the previous month.

At the moment, Darnell Savage is the only safety on the roster with any substantial NFL experience. However, he was benched at one point last season and is better in the slot–still leaving a hole at the two deep safety positions.

Perhaps the Packers will try moving Douglas to safety this summer, another thing that Gutey spoke on this week. Although that would help fill the hole at safety, that then creates a much bigger need at cornerback.

In today’s NFL, playing with five defensive backs is the norm. Maybe Savage could line up in the slot if Douglas is at safety, but after what we saw in 2022, Green Bay putting all their eggs in that basket comes with some risk. It’s also worth noting that outside of Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes, both of whom would likely spend most of their time on the boundary, the other current cornerbacks on the roster are Kiondre Thomas, Shemar Jean-Charles, Tyrell Ford, and Benjie Franklin.

Pretty quickly, we can see why the Packers would consider selecting a cornerback early on–not to mention that it’s one of the game’s most important positions, and given the depth of the class, there won’t be a shortage of options for Gutey when he’s on the clock. Positional need and value certainly matters, but at some point, the draft is about bringing in good football players.

As we continue to hear reports of meetings that the Packers are having at the Combine, they, to a degree, should be taken with a grain of salt. Throughout this pre-draft process, Green Bay is going to speak to dozens of draft prospects. But with that said, it’s also pretty clear that they are doing their homework on the safety and cornerback positions.