Ranking all the 2024 prospective rookie safeties by RAS
Several factors go into draft-day decisions: athletic testing, measurements, character, leadership, and, of course, how well they played in college. For the Green Bay Packers, there is a correlation between their draft picks and Relative Athletic Score.
It fits The Packer Way, which was brought in by Ron Wolf and remained a draft philosophy shared by Ted Thompson and Brian Gutekunst.
When determining which prospects the Packers may consider drafting, it's worth paying attention to RAS, as it can provide clues about who may be high on their board.
Adding another safety is a priority for the Packers, even after making Xavier McKinney one of the highest-paid players at the position. They have options in the draft, but when factoring in RAS, we can likely remove several prospects from their board.
What is Relative Athletic Score (RAS)?
Relative Athletic Score (RAS) was created by Kent Lee Platte. His system factors in athletic testing, measurements, and more to calculate an athleticism score between 0 and 10. Here is his explanation of how it works in an interview with The Power Sweep:
"RAS takes player measurements and puts it on a 0 to 10 scale compared to their position groups, then it takes an average of those numbers, which it puts on a 0 to 10 scale again compared to their position for a final Relative Athletic Score," said Kent Lee Platte.
It's a great system that makes it easier for fans to understand a draft prospect's athleticism compared to other players at their position in the NFL.
Why is Relative Athletic Score important for Packers?
It's unclear whether the Packers use RAS in their own calculations, but there is a clear correlation between their draft picks and elite scores, especially under general manager Brian Gutekunst.
Gutekunst has drafted 61 players, of which 39 had an elite RAS (8.0 or above), 10 had a good score (5.0 or above), and only four had a bad score (below 5.0). The other eight didn't have an RAS due to not enough data.
The percentage is even higher on Days 1 and 2. Of Gutekunst's 26 picks in the opening four rounds, 21 had elite Relative Athletic Scores, two had good scores (Amari Rodgers and Jayden Reed), and two didn't have an RAS (Josh Myers and Romeo Doubs).
If an early-round prospect has an RAS below 5.0, we can almost guarantee the Packers won't draft them. It matters.
2024 NFL Draft safety prospects ranked by RAS
With that in mind, we can begin to narrow down potential draft targets for the Packers at positions of need. Here are the 20 safety prospects with an RAS score entering the 2024 NFL Draft:
Rank | Name | RAS | College |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Cole Bishop | 9.88 | Utah |
2 | Dominique Hampton | 9.44 | Washington |
3 | Jaden Hicks | 8.94 | Washington State |
4 | Jaylen Key | 8.89 | Alabama |
5 | Dadrion Taylor-Demerson | 8.77 | Texas Tech |
6 | Jaylon Carlies | 8.22 | Missouri |
7 | Kitan Oladapo | 8.16 | Oregon State |
8 | Evan Williams | 8.13 | Oregon |
9 | Millard Bradford | 7.92 | Texas Christian |
10 | Sione Vaki | 7.88 | Utah |
11 | Tykee Smith | 7.36 | Georgia |
12 | Jaylin Simpson | 7.35 | Auburn |
13 | Josh Proctor | 6.87 | Ohio State |
14 | Daijahn Anthony | 6.59 | Mississippi |
15 | Calen Bullock | 6.33 | Southern California |
16 | Demani Richardson | 5.06 | Texas A&M |
17 | James Williams | 4.63 | Miami |
18 | Patrick McMorris | 3.61 | California |
19 | Tyler Nubin | 2.91u | Minnesota |
20 | Kamren Kinchens | 2.34 | Miami |
Minnesota's Tyler Nubin and Miami's Kamren Kinchens are arguably the top two safety prospects in the class and were popular choices for the Packers in mock drafts early in the offseason. However, they both earned poor Relative Athletic Scores, effectively ending any hopes of Green Bay drafting them on Days 1 or 2.
If the Packers draft a safety—especially in the opening four rounds—it will likely be one of the names inside the top 10. Once we remove the players not projected to get drafted before Day 3, the list is reduced even further.
Here's the list of realistic safety targets for the Packers in the opening four rounds: Cole Bishop, Jaden Hicks, Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, and Sione Vaki.
They may consider other prospects who don't have a Relative Athletic Score, including Georgia's Javon Bullard, who ran a 4.47 40-yard dash but didn't do enough drills to earn a score.
If the Packers plan to draft a safety in the early rounds with an elite RAS, their options are limited.
Bishop and Hicks may be the best fits. Bishop offers the versatility the Packers covet—he could line up across the secondary. Hicks would be a dream Day 2 target. He also lined up everywhere at Washington State, but his best fit in Jeff Hafley's defense is likely as a box safety. Either could start immediately alongside Xavier McKinney.
However, if the Packers miss out on their top targets in the early rounds, they may need to turn back to free agency at the safety position.
More Packers news and analysis
manual