The Green Bay Packers selected Javon Bullard in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. The Georgia alum started 11 games as a rookie and played in 15. He missed a couple of games late in the season due to an ankle injury.
Bullard was productive, making 90 total tackles and recovering a fumble. But with the addition of Nate Hobbs, where does Bullard fit into the Packers defense in 2025? As of now, the answer is not so clear cut.
Bullard has the versatility the Packers prefer in the defensive backs. He played both safety and in the slot as a rookie. Most scouts felt he played better in the slot.
Pro Football Focus graded Bullard as a strong run defender but a below average player in coverage. According to pro-football-reference.com, Bullard struggled badly in coverage as a rookie. Opposing quarterbacks completed 85.2 percent of their passes when throwing to receivers covered by Bullard and had a quarterback rating of 120.6. Hopefully, Bullard will improve in coverage in his second season in the NFL.
But the big question surrounding Bullard is where will he play in 2025? The Packers didn’t select Bullard in the second round to have him sit on the bench. They have expectations that he will be a solid contributor to the defense which he already was during his rookie year. But there will be tight competition for playing time in the secondary this season.
If Jaire Alexander returns to Green Bay, he will almost certainly be one of the starting boundary corners assuming he can stay healthy. Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, and Hobbs would battle for the other boundary corner spot.
If the Packers move on from Alexander, Nixon, Valentine and Hobbs would be competing for two starting spots. There is also the possibility the Packers add a cornerback in this year’s draft class, and he would be competing for playing time as well.
Nixon, Hobbs and Bullard also have experience playing in the slot. In fact, that’s the position Hobbs played most frequently with the Raiders although GM Brian Gutekunst indicated he believes Hobbs can play both the slot and on the boundary. Thus far, the slot has been Bullard’s best position. He appears to have more competition for that job now.
The Packers could also have Bullard compete for a spot at safety. Xavier McKinney had a Pro Bowl campaign in 2024 and will certainly be one of the starters. The other starting spot was manned by rookie Evan Williams who performed better than Bullard as the other safety last season. In fact, Williams earned All-Rookie honors.
Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has been high on Bullard even with his struggles in coverage. In fact, midseason, Hafley indicated that Bullard’s strong play near the line of scrimmage helped McKinney make big plays in the secondary. He definitely liked what Bullard brought to the defense.
“I think when you watch Bull, you watch how physical he is around the ball and you just want to try to find ways to get him more involved play after play,” Hafley said midway through Bullard’s rookie year. “We’re playing a team that we felt was going to try to run the football a lot [the Rams], and what better way to get a good physical defender in the ‘11’ personnel grouping?
“So, rather than have a guy who’s just going to be in there for coverage reasons, you kind of get the best of both worlds. You’re almost playing with three safeties. He can do it all, though. I think he can cover. I know he’s physical in the run game. He’s a really good blitzer.”
Most NFL coaches consider competition a good thing. The expression head coach Matt LaFleur likes to use is “iron sharpens iron.” Bullard will now face competition for playing time in his second year with the team. He could earn one of the starting jobs at safety or in the slot. Or he could be a rotational piece in nickel packages that could help improve the run defense when the team lines up with smaller, quicker, personnel.
Either way, Bullard faces a challenge in year two. We’ll see what role he carves out in 2025, his second season in the NFL.
