Getting James may require a bold move
With four or possibly five quarterbacks good bets to get drafted in the top 10 to 12 picks this year, the Green Bay Packers might get a shot at a defensive back who otherwise would have been out of reach at No. 14 overall.
The Packers, of course, need cover men almost as badly as they need pass rushers. Anyone who watched them last season can vouch for that.
The question is whether Florida State’s Derwin James or Alabama’s Minkah Fitzpatrick will still be on the board at No. 14, or more likely in James’ case at least close enough to 14 that general manager Brian Gutekunst could
trade up for him at not too great a cost.
They’re two very different players, but each in his own way could be appealing for Gutekunst.
James isn’t even a cornerback, the obvious weak spot in the Packers’ secondary, but a safety. But more than a specific position, the Packers need a difference-maker on defense, and there are some scouts who think James will be one in the NFL.
“There are two players in this draft I’d trade up for,” said a scout for an NFC team. “I’d trade up for Derwin James, and I’d trade up for (Georgia linebacker) Roquan Smith.”
The Packers don’t necessarily need a safety because even though they let starter Morgan Burnett walk in free agency, they return Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Josh Jones. Clinton-Dix and Jones had rough 2017 seasons, but Clinton-Dix has been to a Pro Bowl, and the Packers spent a second-round pick on Jones.
Still, Gutekunst could find James hard to pass on if the safety made it to 14, though when I asked five NFL scouts recently of the chances that Jones would still be available, four said slim to none.
But what if James makes it to 10 or 11? Recent NFL trade history suggests the Packers probably could move up from 14 to get him by giving up a fourth-round selection, and they have two fourth-round picks to work with.
If Gutekunst did make the move, new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine would have to figure out a way to get James, Jones and Clinton-Dix on the field together. The Packers didn’t spend a secondround pick on Jones last season to make him a backup.
How might Pettine do that? One possibility would be moving Jones to nickel linebacker, though coach Mike McCarthy said at the NFL owners meeting that Jones was overloaded working two positions (safety and linebacker) last season, and that this year he’ll be a safety.
There’s also the possibility that James (6-foot-13⁄4, 215 pounds) could play some slot cornerback, though there are questions about his cover skills for that position. While his 40 time is plenty good (4.47 seconds), his short shuttle (4.34 seconds) and three-cone drill (7.34 seconds) are below average for a safety, let alone someone covering receivers from the slot.
But James in college was at his best around the line of scrimmage as a disruptor and blitzer (15 12 ⁄ tackles for a loss and 5 ⁄2
1 sacks in 28 games at Florida State).
“On passing downs, he can play the slot,” a scout from another NFC team said.
Fitzpatrick (6-0 18 ⁄ , 204) has even more position versatility than James because he’s a better pure cover man— at Alabama he played nickel corner, outside corner and safety. The Packers presumably see him at least initially as a nickel cornerback, which is a big opening in their lineup.
The question is whether Fitzpatrick can play any of those positions at a high level in the NFL. Three of the scouts said they think he can. He had nine interceptions and 4⁄ 12 sacks in three seasons as a starter.
One other cornerback is expected to go high in the first round, Ohio State’s Denzel Ward (5-107⁄8, 183). There’s always the chance he makes it to 14, though his elite 4.32-second speed in the 40 makes it more likely a team in the top 10 will take him because of his upside.
Assuming Ward is gone by 10, this draft gets interesting for the Packers if James is still available at that point. Or maybe Fitzpatrick will still be there at 14.
Gutekunst will be lucky if that’s the kind of hard decision he has to make.