Since the Green Bay Packers took 11 players in the 2024 NFL Draft back in late April, just three have made tremendous progress in earning their role on a playoff-contending squad with aspirations of bringing back another Lombardi trophy. A few seventh-round picks failed to make the 53-man roster. Four more in the Packers rookie class have yet to see the field religiously. First-round offensive lineman Jordan Morgan re-injured his shoulder. RB MarShawn Lloyd has been on injured reserve. A collection of unlucky circumstances have seemed to limit further the potential of this Green Bay rookie class as a whole.
Yet, after five weeks of regular season football, a couple of first-year pros in LB Edgerrin Cooper and S Javon Bullard have performed well right out of the gates, contributing to a defense currently leading the league in forced turnovers (14), and that is sixth in total sacks (16). Conversely, another rookie was also granted the opportunity to show their unique skills on the field last Sunday. In his first career start, he demonstrated his undeniable capabilities to impact the outcome of a game significantly.
With an extremely competitive NFC North at stake and the Packers sitting at the bottom of the division with a 3-2 record, which of these emerging rookies is head coach Matt LaFleur going to rely on heavily for the rest of the season?
Is Fourth-Round Rookie Safety Surfacing As Top Performer In Packers Rookie Class for Rest of Season?
While Edgerrin Cooper and Javon Bullard have been turning heads as key pieces of this Packers rookie class since Week 1, former Oregon safety will turn just as many heads, if not more, as the Packers continue to figure out their player rotations in the secondary.
Evan Williams Against The Rams
With star cornerback Jaire Alexander continuing to deal with a groin injury that kept him sidelined on Sunday, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley needed to make adjustments. In moving Javon Bullard to the slot and Keisean Nixon to corner, Evan Williams was called upon to start for Green Bay at safety alongside Xavier McKinney.
And what better way to make a name for yourself than adjacent to the league leader in interceptions?
Of the Packers 78 defensive snaps against Los Angeles, Williams missed zero, nearly quadrupling his highest snap total in a game previous. In those snaps, the former Duck had two passes defended, ten total tackles, and multiple clutch plays in the waning minutes of Matthew Stafford’s attempt to drive down the field and steal Jordan Love’s first win of the season.
Williams also made a tough tackle in the open field against Rams TE Colby Parkinson to force a fourth down attempt which Kyren Williams was able to convert. Shortly after, the Rams found themselves in another fourth-down situation, where Stafford looked to get the ball in the hands of Parkinson again but instead found the left hand of Evan Williams, sealing the deal for the Packers.
After the performance, Evan Williams was ranked second among safeties in Week 5 by Pro Football Focus, just behind Xavier McKinney, who ended up with yet another pick to add to his collection. NFL analyst Peter Schrager also ranked Williams fourth among all rookies for Week 5 and was the only defensive player to make the list.
What’s Next for Evan Williams?
Now that Williams is getting the recognition he deserves, one question remains: Can the rookie keep it up?
With an inevitable return from Jaire Alexander and Carrington Valentine reincorporating himself on defense, the Packers will undoubtedly have a packed secondary room with McKinney, Bullard, and Nixon in the mix as well. With Alexander in the lineup, it is plausible that Bullard will return to deep safety duties primarily and that Nixon will leave cornerback coverage to the Pro Bowler, putting Williams back to square one as a rotational piece.
On the flip side, Jeff Hafley has expressed his excitement for what the young safety can provide on a game-to-game basis when given more chances on the field to make plays. Hafley will definitely need to re-evaluate the strengths of each member in the secondary and find a way to put Williams in more positions to do what he did in Week 5. Whether that means moving Bullard inside the box or at nickel more often to allow Williams to play more free safety or just increasing reps in another area of the field, it needs to happen.
The Green Bay Packers finally have depth at the safety position, and with Evan Williams on the rise, opposing offenses will now have to heavily game plan for not just McKinney’s ball-hawking skill but rather a collective unit of playmakers in the Packers secondary.
Expect Evan Williams to significantly impact football games for the time to come.
Main Image: Gary A. Vasquez – USA Today Sports
