Packer Central

Packers Sign Former Draft Pick Who Has ‘Plankton Mentality’

With Xavier McKinney, Zayne Anderson and now Omar Brown out with injuries, the Green Bay Packers, according to a source, signed a 2024 fifth-round NFL Draft pick with position flexibility.
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New Packers defensive back Jaylin Simpson goes through drills with the Colts as a rookie in 2024.
New Packers defensive back Jaylin Simpson goes through drills with the Colts as a rookie in 2024. | Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – With their safety depth eroded by injuries, including to Omar Brown on Saturday, the Green Bay Packers have signed Jaylin Simpson, a source told Packers On SI on Monday.

In a corresponding roster move, they released cornerback Garnett Hollis Jr.

Simpson, who worked out for the Packers last week, was a fifth-round draft pick by the Indianapolis Colts in 2024. Simpson failed to make their roster and spent most of the season on their practice squad until he was signed to the New York Jets’ 53-man roster for the final few weeks of the season. The Jets released him on Aug. 2 following a hamstring injury.

At the 2024 Scouting Combine, he measured 5-foot-11 5/8 and 179 pounds. While undersized, he ran his 40 in 4.45 seconds with a 39.5-inch vertical leap and 11-foot, 1-inch broad jump. Because he’s undersized, his Relative Athletic Score was 7.40.

“You’re talking about a guy that’s going to blow up the Combine. You see the range,” then-Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy told On3’s Andy Staples. “He’s got true centerfield skills, and probably athletic enough to play some nickel. I think that’s what a lot of teams right now are looking for, that nickel/free type of player, and they’ve got so many good ones.”

Simpson started his career at Auburn as a safety in 2019. He moved to cornerback for the next three seasons before flipping back to safety for his senior season in 2023. He was first-team all-SEC in 2023 as he ranked 16th nationally with four interceptions. That includes a stretch of three consecutive games with one interception.

“I got switched by my coaches,” Simpson said after being drafted, “but it was because they knew I was a versatile guy and they felt as if I was the guy that could have played multiple positions. That’s just going to translate, that’s just who I am, that’s what I do. I’m just a DB. I’m not one defined defensive back. Corner, safety, nickel – I can play all of them.”

The Colts viewed Simpson as a combo cornerback and safety, and that probably will be the Packers’ vision if this winds up being an extended stay. For now, though, the Packers will need him at safety with Xavier McKinney (calf), Zayne Anderson (knee) and Brown (chest) out of action. Brown remained hospitalized on Sunday after suffering a lung injury on Saturday against the Colts.

The injuries left only Evan Williams, Javon Bullard, Kitan Oladapo and Johnathan Baldwin for the final week of camp.

“He’s got some versatility where he can play corner, nickel, safety,” Colts general manager Chris Ballard said after the 2024 draft. “(He) played a lot of games in the SEC.”

The Colts quickly moved him to corner.

“He’s got ball skills, he’s got speed and he’s got the hips that you want at corner,” Colts assistant general manager Ed Dodds said. “He’s got a slighter frame, so we said, (if he’s going to play) safety, he’s going to need to put some bulk on. … We were like: ‘We think he can play corner and help us there.’”

Simpson played against a lot of elite competition in college, which got him ready for the NFL.

“I just like playing against the best of the best,” Simpson said. “In college, especially with SEC teams, you kind of play against smaller league teams before you get to SEC play. I personally didn't like that. I wanted the big games, the Georgias, the LSUs, the Alabamas. That's when the stars come out, the big plays, the big moments and you really get to see who rises to the light. I feel like I always did.”

More than just athletic, intelligence is a key part of Simpson’s game when at safety.

“I just know, as a player, there’s not too many formations and things the offense can do,” Simpson said as a rookie. “I can tell what you’re going to, and what you’re not going to do, based on what you’re giving me. I just know, a lot of times, when they’re coming.”

Simpson was a two-way standout in leading Frederica Academy in St. Simons, Ga., to a state championship. As a senior, he accounted for 22 total touchdowns as a quarterback and intercepted four passes.

“I think I definitely should have been picked a lot higher, but at the end of the day, everything happens for a reason,” Simpson said.

At Auburn, he said he had a “Plankton mentality.”

Say what?

Plankton is a character from Spongebob Squarepants. His goal is to get Mr. Krabs’ Krabby Patty formula.

“Since I've been knowing Plankton, dude just has one goal, to get that Krabby Patty Formula,” Simpson explained. “I just feel like he don't stop, every episode he's on it. So, I'm just like, man, we got to get that Plankton Mentality every game. We got to get that formula every game.”

The Colts drafted Simpson with the 164th pick in 2024. The Packers selected offensive lineman Jacob Monk at No. 163 and Oladapo at No. 169. 

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.