Scout’s Best Packers Safety Combo: Xavier McKinney, Cooper DeJean
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers have a new defensive coordinator and almost certainly will have two new starting safeties.
The expectation coming out of the Scouting Combine is the Packers are going to turn back the clock to 2019, when they signed Adrian Amos in free agency and used a first-round pick on Darnell Savage. The Packers might not draft a safety in the first round on April 25, but the general idea is the same by signing one early in free agency and picking one early in the draft.
Asked who would be the ideal combination of free agent and draft pick, one team’s top scout put the Giants’ Xavier McKinney atop his list of the top free agent safeties. To that scout, the perfect pairing would be Iowa’s Cooper DeJean with a first-round pick.
That McKinney was the top free agent is no surprise. He’s everyone’s top free agent.
A second-round pick in 2020, he’s been healthy in only two of those four seasons. However, the productivity has been there with a combined eight interceptions and 21 passes defensed in 2021 and 2023. Not only is he productive, but he’s versatile (464 snaps of free safety, 388 snaps of box safety and 167 snaps in the slot in 2023) and an excellent tackler (21 missed tackles in 49 career games).
DeJean’s a bit of a surprise in only that there’s no clear consensus on where he’ll best fit in the NFL. In fact, safety is almost a total projection, though NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah compared him to former Chargers star Eric Weddle.
According to Pro Football Focus, 653 off his 705 defensive snaps in 2023 came at corner (630) or slot (23). In fact, in his college career, he’s played one snap of free safety. There’s little doubt DeJean could make the transition, but cornerback and safety, while in close proximity on the field, are miles apart in terms of technique and job description.
At 6-foot 1/2 inches and 203 pounds and jump-off-the-tape athleticism, DeJean is a potential weapon wherever he lines up. He had five interceptions, including three pick-sixes, in 2022 and two interceptions and a punt-return touchdown in 2023. He missed only eight tackles during his final two seasons.
Really, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst is in a perfect spot for a total revamp of the safety room.
First, the free-agent group is incredibly deep. The only players who were tagged were the Buccaneers’ Antoine Winfield (franchise) and the Patriots’ Kyle Dugger (transition). Some veteran releases, including Justin Simmons by the Broncos, Kevin Byard by the Eagles and Quandre Diggs by the Seahawks, only bolstered the depth. So, the law of supply and demand will kick in, which means teams won’t have to pay a premium to chase a handful of proven players.
Second, the draft class might not be especially strong or feature a bunch of elite prosects, but the sweet spot is the second and third rounds. The Packers happen to have four selections in those rounds, including No. 41 overall of the second. Thus, Gutekunst can either be patient and see who falls into range or he can use his draft capital to maneuver to get a player he’s targeted.
However, McKinney and DeJean could be the versatile, difference-making tandem at the heart of Hafley’s defense. With cap space and draft picks, Gutekunst has the ability to make it happen.
