The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2022 NFL Draft.
With Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage Jr, the Green Bay Packers have a solid safety duo in place for the 2022 season.
What will the safety depth chart look like for the Packers in 2023? Adrian Amos is set to be a free agent following the 2022 season. Is Darnell Savage Jr in Green Bay’s long-term plans?
With those two players possibly on their way out in the near future, it’s a safe bet Brian Gutekunst seeks to draft at least one safety in the 2022 NFL Draft.
A player that Green Bay’s general manager could target is Brad Hawkins. The Michigan safety checks in at No. 82 in the Unpacking Future Packers countdown.
Hawkins came to Ann Arbor as a four-star recruit and played primarily on special teams early in his career.
In 2019, Hawkins recorded 53 tackles. In the shortened 2020 season, Hawkins recorded 39 tackles and one tackle for loss.
This past season, Hawkins enjoyed a breakout season of sorts recording 60 tackles, three tackles for loss, and four pass deflections.
“He was just really solid,” Brandon Brown, the publisher for Wolverine Digest, said. “He was always back there, always in the right place at the right time and always making the right play.
He’s never been a flashy player and he’s never stuffed the stat sheet but he just does what he is supposed to do and he does it every single day on the practice field, in the classroom, in the meeting rooms, and on the field.”
If it seems like Hawkins has been playing college football at Michigan for an eternity, it’s because he has. Hawkins ended his career at Ann Arbor playing in a program-record 56 games. The Wolverine safety started in 31 of those 56 games.
“We’re talking about a guy who played more games than any player ever at Michigan,” Brown said. “That’s incredible. You didn’t really see him jump off the screen but usually with safeties that’s a good thing. He played a ton of football and didn’t mess up and didn’t get burnt. He’s just steady Eddie — steady as they come back there.”
The old saying is the best ability is availability. It felt like Hawkins never left the field for the Wolverines over the past three seasons.
Hawkins isn’t a twitched-up athlete with great burst. He’s not going to post eye-popping numbers when he tests at the combine or the pro day.
How Hawkins wins is with his understanding of the game. He’s able to be in the right place at the right time due to his instincts.
“I think Hawkins’ greatest strength is his availability,” Brown said. “I mean when you’re talking about a guy who has played that much football and never got benched for doing something wrong, never got benched for making bad plays, never took a day off when it came to practice and getting ready for games, that’s noteworthy.
He played in more games than anybody and always did the right thing. We’re talking about a physical guy, I mean he’s 6-1, 220 pounds, and can play in the box. He plays a physical brand of football and he was always there, always ready, always able to be counted on and that is so valuable in football.”
In run support, Hawkins plays with a physical mindset. He takes on blockers and does not back down from contact.
The 31-game starter understands field leverage and takes good angles in run support. Hawkins is a reliable open-field tackler. He squares to the ball carrier and drives through them. Missed tackles were a rarity while watching the Wolverine safety.
“He has good size and he’s got a good build, but he’s really smart so he plays faster than he is,” Brown said. “He’s a very sure tackler and he’s not afraid to be physical and that’s the kind of football that he’s always played. When you do it for so long and you do it at that level, it just kind of becomes second nature. That’s really what it was for him.”
Hawkins was a standout wide receiver in high school, so it’s surprising that Hawkins played in as many games as he did and never recorded an interception.
That lack of ball production isn’t due to Hawkins having terrible ball skills. It’s more to do with luck. It will be interesting to see how Hawkins looks during position drills at the combine and Michigan’s pro day.
“It is so crazy that he played as much football as he did and never had an interception,” Brown said. “He actually had one against Notre Dame in 2019 that was called back due to a phantom pass interference call on a teammate in one of the worst calls ever.
He’s got fantastic ball skills. As a recruit, he was a four-star wide receiver coming out of high school he was part of the same class at Michigan that had Donovan Peoples-Jones, Tarik Black, Nico Collins, and Oliver Martin. It’s really mind-blowing that he was never able to get his hands on an interception while he was at Michigan.”
The fastest path for Hawkins to see playing time as a rookie will be on special teams. That’s something Hawkins did exclusively early in his career at Michigan and could help him carve out a role early in his career as a pro.
“There’s no question that he could be a special teams kind of player,” Brown said. “He’s not an elite athlete, so you do wonder how that will translate to the next level, but he’s a guy you can count on every single day to do the right thing, be in the right place, be disciplined, be a leader, work hard and he is a sure tackler. This is the kind of guy that could he could be a lifelong special teams player, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s better than that.”
Fit with the Packers
The Packers don’t have an immediate need at the safety position. If Hawkins were to land in Green Bay, he could become a special teams contributor as a rookie, while playing in sub-packages on defense.
“He’s always available, he’s smart, he’s a good leader, he’s never going to be a headache in the locker room or off the field, you know what you’re going to get from him and if you ask him to do something, he’ll do it,” Brown said. “He switched positions at Michigan, he played at a high level, he never made any glaring mistakes and always seemed to do the right thing. If you’re looking for someone with an extremely high floor who might not have the highest ceiling in the world, that’s Brad Hawkins.”
The third day of the draft is all about finding players that can carve out a role. Hawkins projects as a box safety that could develop into a career-long special teams demon.
The Packers have had terrible special teams play for far too long. It won’t end with firing another special teams coordinator. It will end once they start getting players in the building that have extensive special teams experience. Hawkins could be part of that turnaround.
