Packers' dreams of drafting top safety prospect crushed at NFL Combine

Safety is high on the Green Bay Packers' offseason to-do list.

The position increases in importance under new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, and the Packers' top three safeties in snaps are headed for free agency.

Seventh-round pick Anthony Johnson Jr. is the only safety under contract who started for Green Bay in 2023. Johnson ranked fourth in snaps at the position, but is he ready for a full-time starting role entering his second season?

The Packers need to prioritize the position this offseason if they have any hopes of turning a weakness into a strength in the secondary.

However, the upcoming rookie class may not feature a first-round pick, and the Packers may have removed several Day 2 targets from their draft board after the NFL Scouting Combine.

Kamren Kinchens is likely off the Packers' draft board after poor combine performance

One of those prospects is Miami's Kamren Kinchens, who was considered a dream early-round target for the Packers before the NFL Combine. However, he may no longer even be on Brian Gutekunst's board.

Kinchens surprisingly struggled in Indianapolis, beginning with a 4.65-second 40-yard dash that tied for the slowest time among safeties. He also had the worst broad jump and tied for the slowest 10-yard shuttle at the position.

Kinchens finished with an unofficial Relative Athletic Score of 2.11 out of 10. Only one of Gutekunst's draft picks in the top two rounds (Jayden Reed) had a Relative Athletic Score below 8.0.

Kinchens still has the chance to go on Day 2 or early Day 3, but the Packers almost certainly won't draft him. They value athleticism, particularly in the early rounds.

Since Gutekunst took the job in 2018, he has only drafted four players with an RAS below 5.0: Cole Madison, Jake Hanson, Shemar Jean-Charles, and Jonathan Ford. They were all mid-to-late-round picks and played a combined 147 snaps for the Packers.

None of them had an RAS as low as Kinchen's 2.11.

In 2023, nine of the Packers' 13 draft picks earned "elite" scores. Jayden Reed and Karl Brooks were in the "good" category, and two didn't earn scores as there wasn't enough data.

Kinchens has excellent range in coverage and intercepted 11 passes over the past two seasons. He was considered one of the best fits to play the post safety role in Jeff Hafley's scheme. However, after a disappointing performance at the NFL Combine, the chances he ends up in Green Bay are close to zero.

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