The safety position has been one of the Green Bay Packers’ biggest weaknesses on defense for the past few seasons. The three safeties who played the most snaps last season were Jonathan Owens, Rudy Ford, and Darnell Savage. All three players listed are not on the team, as Owens signed with the Chicago Bears, Ford remains a free agent, and Savage signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Packers signed Xavier McKinney during free agency. Signing McKinney won’t solve all their problems at safety, and needed, to address the other safety position. They drafted one in the 2nd round.
The Green Bay Packers drafted a safety in the 2nd round
The Packers drafted Javon Bullard 58th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. Bullard was the second last-draft pick to sign a rookie contract.
Javon Bullard signed his rookie contract
According to Over The Cap, Bullard signed a 4-year rookie contract worth $6,706,132 with a $1,697,188 signing bonus. James Morgan is the only Packers’ draft pick who hasn’t signed a contract.
Bullard played college football in the SEC.
Javon Bullard played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs
Bullard committed to the Bulldogs as a three-star recruit for the 2021 season. He would have a solid career with the team, playing 41 games with 22 starts and playing nickel and both safety positions. He had 114 tackles, eight TFLs, 3.5 sacks, four interceptions, and eight pass deflections.
Bullard played 12 games and started 12 at safety in 2023, with 56 tackles, one TFL, two interceptions, and five pass deflections. He posted an 88.4 coverage grade, a 78.4 tackling grade, a 67.1 run defense grade, and an 82.8 PFF grade.
Lance Zierlein did a scouting report on Javon Bullard
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com did a scouting report on Bullard.
“Bullard isn’t a clean fit as a full-time nickel and might lack the length and range teams seek from a split safety, but he’s a good football player with the field awareness teams are looking for. He’s going to be a little tight with lateral movements, which will create some throwing windows and missed tackles from time to time, but his route recognition and angles of pursuit help to stabilize his play.
“There will be some challenging matchups, but Georgia’s provided the blueprint by playing him as a big nickel with run support and modest man cover duties — NFL teams would be wise to follow suit. With the right fit, Bullard should develop into a quality NFL starter.”
Javon Bullard will compete for a starting safety spot. Will he win the starting job and line up on the opposite side of Xavier McKinney?
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