Green Bay Packers: Ranking the 5 best moves of the 2019 offseason

3. Drafting S Darnell Savage Jr.

The Packers’ biggest weakness on defense last season was unquestionably at safety. That’s why general manager Brian Gutekunst didn’t hesitate to trade up from pick No. 30 to pick No. 21 to select Maryland safety Darnell Savage Jr. in the first round of this year’s draft.

Savage is a rare breed who can play anywhere in the secondary. Having spent the majority of his time at safety while at Maryland, Savage is actually a converted cornerback. He has extensive experience playing as a nickel corner, which comes in handy when mixing up pre-snap looks on defense.

Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine is known for wanting to disguise what his defense is doing by deploying players who can play multiple positions. With the ability to play anywhere in Pettine’s defense, Savage lends himself extremely useful. Additionally, he’s been working with the first-team defense ever since the start of OTAs, which is unusual for a rookie in Green Bay.

Savage has Defensive Rookie of the Year potential, and he should get plenty of opportunities to prove why he deserves such an award once the season starts. That being said, even if he doesn’t win any awards this year, it won’t be very hard to top the dismal display shown by the Packers’ safeties in 2018.