2024 2nd Round Pick #58 Overall Javon Bullard

[Joemailman]

Overview
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.

Strengths
Plays with above-average football intelligence and instincts.
Patient in reading and reacting to wide receiver’s actions.
Spatial awareness helps navigate rub routes and pursuit angles.
Has the route anticipation to shadow breaks from off-man.
Attacks blockers with stiff punch to separate as run supporter.
Centers up and accelerates through the targets as tackler.

Weaknesses
Could struggle covering large patches of grass as a high safety.
Short strider lacking comeback speed once he’s beaten.
Very average burst to close creates limited playmaking range.
Needs to come to balance a little sooner as an alley runner.
Tightness in hips creates inconsistency as an open-field tackler.

[Joemailman]

[HarveyWallbangers]

I wasn't enamored with this pick, but a lot of people seem to like this pick. I'll take a wait and see on this guy.

[Vincenzo]

Is this our hidden gem pick, Joe the mailman?

[Frozen Tundra]

I wasn't enamored with this pick, but a lot of people seem to like this pick. I'll take a wait and see on this guy.

I think it may be a matter of context. I like the pick a lot, considering what other players there were at that draft slot and that specific position, because we needed help at safety and very few players in this draft class could have helped us more than he probably will. But there've been a lot of years I'd have felt cheated if he was the best safety we could have come away with, period.

So.... I'm really happy that in a year where we badly needed safety, we got one of the best safeties available. But I can't deny that I wish this were a year where we had some better safeties from whom to choose.

I think Gute saw this coming months ago, and that's why we pounced Xavier McKinney the minute he got out of bed that first morning. I think he knew we had critical needs at safety, but we were going to have very few options in the draft. So in anticipation of that, he made sure we were as strong at the position as we could possibly be - so that no matter how badly we might fall short in the draft, we wouldn't be totally vulnerable at that position for the entire season and post-season. We'd have one of the best safeties in the NFL to start with, and then we'd do the best we could to build a corps around him. And I'd bet he knew it would take more than the 2024 draft.

[Fritz]

Man, this is just one weird pick. He's not an elite athlete, it seems. He's a little small. He sure doesn't fit the Packer profile of loving great athletes.

It seems to me that Guter was not bullshitting about his defensive players needing to be versatile, because that seems to be this kid's selling point. He can play safety high, in the box, or nickel.

I still think Guter took a chance that DeJean would be there at his pick, and when the Iggles jumped him, he knew the game was up and so traded back. DeJean was also versatile but a better athlete, apparently, than this kid.

This one's a head-scratcher for me. I'm guessing they're going to take a couple of flyers in later rounds on a couple more safeties.

[King Friday]

I believe this is a solid pick because of two reasons. First, this kid was not a 5 star recruit coming out of high school, yet he went to Georgia and became a fixture in their secondary. That means he’s a hard worker off the field, which may have been the downfall of our more recent safety failures. Second, while he lacks high end elite speed he does possess exceptional quickness in short bursts and shows above average coverage techniques that should only improve with coaching. He’s probably never going to be a great single deep safety option, but that is fine because that is why we got X.

[Fritz]

Good points. Versatility is a big, big thing now in Green Bay, and this kid's got it.

To me, after watching Guter's presser, it would seem that Green Bay actually liked this kid better than DeJean, or at least they liked this kid and Edgerrin Cooper better than Dejean and some unknown other pick plus giving up a pick or two to get DeJean,

[King Friday]

I’m just not sold on Iowa defensive players. The Big Ten is a below average offensive league. Iowa defensive players often look fabulous in college, then don’t look nearly as good at the next level. They’ve had a ton of great college players there, but few have become great at the next level other than TEs.

[bobblehead]

Yep, after some time and review I like this pick where we made it. He is super instinctual. Some of the routes he jumped and almost picked off can't be taught. He is a football player. He may never be an all pro eraser, but I think he will be a pretty good pro.

[run pMc]

I like the pick.
Smart player, good enough athlete. Decent instincts. Played all over the back for UGA as a safety and even in the slot. He's a safety with versatility.
I think he'll pair well with McKinney, they can rock-n-roll each of them and keep offenses guessing. Also means they don't have to shift around like crazy pre-snap to respond to motioning receivers.

A little undersized at 5'10"+ but he's got enough density at 198. He's a slightly slower Savage with better instincts and tackling. He'd probably be a R3 pick in a draft class with better safeties, but he's still a solid Day 2 pick and not a reach IMO. Was the one of the top 3 safeties on most draftnik's boards, FWIW.

GB has drafted about 1/3 of the UGA CFB championship defense.