If the Green Bay Packers indeed decide to make their selection with the 14th overall pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, they will undoubtedly be getting a supremely talented player. That is true regardless of that player’s position.
Sill, perhaps no player projected in the top half of the first round could have as big an impact on the team’s new-look defense under Mike Pettine than Florida State safety Derwin James.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound James was a Swiss-army knife for the Seminoles, lining up at safety, slot corner, and linebacker during his three years on campus. In fact, his varied role is not unlike that of Packers safety Morgan Burnett, who is slated to be a free agent in a little more than a week. The difference is that James is expected to test out as an elite athlete.
The Packers are certainly doing their due diligence on James. He confirmed in his media interview at the 2018 Scouting Combine on Sunday that he had a formal meeting with the Packers in Indianapolis. He also elaborated that the team’s representatives discussed with him a possible role as a versatile defensive back who can line up in coverage at safety or slot corner and can blitz off the edge.