What to Know: Minnesota S Jordan Howden taking top 30 visit with Packers
By Paul Bretl
Jordan Howden, an experienced safety from Minnesota, will be taking an official top 30 visit with the Green Bay Packers prior to the NFL draft, according to Ryan Fowler of The Draft Network.
Howden measures in at 5’11” and weighs 203 pounds. He posted a Relative Athletic Score of 8.80, and for reference, Brian Gutekunst’s two safety selections as GM, Darnell Savage, and Tariq Carpenter, have scored 8.37 and 8.93, respectively.
Howden is going to be one of the more experienced players you’ll come across in this draft class. He played five seasons at Minnesota, totaling 2,796 total snaps. 1,257 of those have come from the slot, according to PFF, with 912 as a free safety and 597 in the box.
Although the majority of Howden’s snaps have come in the slot, that isn’t exactly what the Packers need at safety. They have nickel options on the roster already. What they need is a true deep safety.
Howden has been a very sound tackler, especially over the last two seasons, missing only four out of his 104 total attempts. This is an area where the Packers need to improve on the back end, where safeties are asked to play a key role in the run game in Joe Barry’s defense due to the heavy usage of light boxes.
In coverage for his career, Howden allowed a completion rate of just 56.9% on 160 targets and at 12.9 yards per catch. He also logged 14 pass breakups and a pair of interceptions.
For more on what Howden could offer the Packers, here is a look at what NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft report:
"“Howden is a football-savvy free safety with good instincts and play recognition but a lack of acceleration, which could create a plethora of problems for him on the pro level. He’s quick to diagnose the run, but will need to improve his tackle technique. A lack of recovery juice could get him mismatched on the pro game, but he sees route combinations well when allowed to play as a two-deep safety. Howden has played a lot of football and can help on special teams but needs to prove himself as a tester at the NFL Scouting Combine.”"
It’s been a quiet free agency for the Packers, but two of their signings have been at the safety position. However, it still remains a big need. Unfortunately, this is not a very strong draft class at the position, but nonetheless, Green Bay will leave the draft with at least one safety selection, if not two.
The overall depth for the upcoming season can be improved, and with several one-year contracts on the books, the Packers need to be planning ahead as well. On top of that, more consistency and playmaking would be beneficial as well.
Based on what Matt LaFleur told reporters at the NFL Owners’ Meetings, we have a good idea of what the Packers’ secondary will look like, at least to start the summer. Rasul Douglas will be on the boundary, with Keisean Nixon in the slot and Darnell Savage at safety.
That starting spot next to Savage, however, is still available. I would write recently that I believe Rudy Ford is the front-runner given his play against the run in 2022 and that he was often positioned well, coming away with four takeaways. Tarvarius Moore, meanwhile, has the second-most defensive snaps on the team at safety behind only Savage–although most of those came in 2020.
Other options include Tariq Carpenter, but he may be more of a linebacker, while Innis Gaines spent most of his time in the slot last season. James Wiggins is an unknown for the time being. A rookie addition could have the opportunity to challenge Ford and Moore for playing time.