The Green Bay Packers have been unusually active in free agency, but one league executive is sceptical about the team’s biggest free agent signing, Xavier McKinney.
Mike Sando of The Athletic met with NFL executives to obtain their uncensored perspectives on free agency for all 32 teams. When it came to the Packers, at least one executive was not pleased with the team’s decision to pay McKinney.
“I wasn’t a big Xavier McKinney fan — liked him, did not love him — because of the lack of speed,” the company’s CEO remarked.
McKinney ran the 40-yard sprint in 4.63 seconds ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft, placing him in the 26th percentile among safeties. While he was able to play at a high level with the New York Giants, at least one high-ranking NFL executive appears to be concerned about his below-average speed.
Xavier McKinney’s Path to Green Bay
Despite concerns about his speed, has checked boxes at every step of his football career.
McKinney was a 4-star recruit coming out of high school in Georgia. Offers included top programs like Georgia and Ohio State, but he decided to go to Alabama to play for Nick Saban.
He spent three seasons with the Crimson Tide, winning a national championship as a freshman before earning first-team All-SEC honors as a junior. His consistent contributions on Alabama’s defense helped him go 36th overall to the Giants in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Packers Draft Needs
Now that free agency is winding down, the Packers can turn their attention to the 2024 NFL Draft.
Safety still remains a need, despite the Packers signing McKinney. Anthony Johnson Jr. is the only other safety on the roster with real playing time, but was a Day 3 rookie last season.
Offensive line depth will be another major point of emphasis in this year’s draft. Jon Runyan Jr. and David Bakhtiari are no longer in Green Bay, and the Packers are one injury away from Royce Newman being back out on the field. The Packers could draft multiple linemen to add some much-needed depth.
The Packers will also likely take a swing on an off-ball linebacker. The new defensive scheme that Jeff Hafley is bringing will use a 4-3 base defense. The current roster doesn’t have any likely full-time starters at linebacker outside of Quay Walker, which means they should look at one or two in the draft.
Gutekunst could also look at a running back behind Josh Jacobs or a backup quarterback in Day 3. However, don’t be shocked if the Packers make a few surprise moves.
