Packers need safety help, not another slot cornerback option

The Green Bay Packers must address the safety position in this year’s draft. However, what they need specifically at the position is a traditional safety, not another nickel cornerback.

The Packers are in need of improved depth, both for the 2023 season and beyond, along with more consistency and playmaking overall at safety. Based on what Matt LaFleur told reporters at the NFL Owners’ Meetings, we know that Darnell Savage will be one of the deep safeties, but who will be lined up next to him is still up in the air.

With Rudy Ford and Tarvarius Moore already signed, along with limited spending power for the Packers, Green Bay is likely done adding to safety in free agency. Unfortunately, this year’s safety draft class is one of the weaker position groups. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com had only one safety ranked inside his top 50 prospects list, and overall, this is a group that did not test well at the NFL Combine, with only two of the safety prospects within PFF’s top 10 posting a Relative Athletic Score of over 8.0.

Further limiting the Packers and how they address the position could be where they view each safety is best positioned. In today’s college football, many safeties take a lot of snaps in the slot. In fact, with a number of the top safety prospects, that is where the majority of their playing time has come from.

The problem is the Packers don’t need another slot defender–they need another safety on the roster who can play deep and is willing to take some snaps in the box. LaFleur told reporters that Keisean Nixon would have the opportunity to earn those starting snaps. Once Eric Stokes returns, Rasul Douglas and Savage are two other candidates to take those snaps, not to mention that Jaire Alexander should see some opportunities there as well, as he follows the opponent’s top receiver. Although limited, Innis Gaines and Shemar Jean-Charles are two other players on the roster with slot experience.

But when it comes to who is going to be lined up next to Savage, the Packers’ two realistic options at this time are Ford and Moore, who has played only 60 defensive snaps over the last two seasons. The point being that the Packers don’t only need to find a safety but, specifically, a running mate for Savage should be taking priority over another nickel cornerback.

Below is a look at some of the top safeties in this year’s draft class using PFF’s big board, along with their total number of career snaps and how many of those came as a traditional safety, as well as in the box and in the slot.

Brian Branch, Alabama: 1,298 career snaps | 236 in the box | 96 at free safety | 886 in the slot

Antonio Johnson, Texas A&M: 1,474 career snaps | 262 in the box | 122 at free safety | 963 in the slot

Sydney Brown, Illinois: 3,18 career snaps | 1,336 in the box | 729 at free safety | 756 in the slot

Jammie Robinson, Florida State: 1,310 career snaps | 603 in the box | 727 at free safety | 1,325 slot snaps

Jordan Battle, Alabama: 2,615 career snaps | 703 in the box | 1,279 at free safety | 594 in the slot

Christopher Smith, Georgia: 1,539 career snaps | 211 in the box | 974 at free safety | 335 in the slot

JL Skinner, Boise State: 1,686 career snaps | 758 in the box | 578 at free safety | 300 in the slot

Ronnie Hickman, Ohio State: 1,416 career snaps | 676 in the box | 425 at free safety | 281 in the slot

Ji’Ayir Brown, Penn State: 1,403 career snaps | 469 in the box | 631 at free safety | 238 in the slot

Now, of course, just because a player has more slot snaps than free safety snaps doesn’t mean that they can’t play that position. Ultimately it comes down to how the Packers evaluate each player and where they believe each prospect will be at their best. But with that said, if Green Bay believes a safety prospect is best suited in the slot at the NFL level, then in terms of what the Packers actually need right now, they might end up looking elsewhere for a safety.

All snap count info courtesy of pff.com