The Green Bay Packers are meeting with a safety
The Green Bay Packers will come into the draft needing to take several critical positions after this year’s dull free agency. Safety is one position the Packers need to acquire in April. The Packers have not signed team captain and safety Adrian Amos this offseason. He’s visiting with other teams in free agency. The Packers are set to visit a safety draft prospect that some fans in Wisconsin are sure to remember.
According to Ryan Fowler with the NFL Draft Network, the Green Bay Packers are set to visit with Minnesota safety Jordan Howden. He is also meeting with the Packers’ NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings, along with the San Francisco 49ers and Las Vegas Raiders.
Minnesota SAF Jordan Howden has Top 30 visits scheduled with the 49ers and Packers, per source.
He will attend the Raiders and Vikings local day as well.
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) March 31, 2023
What Howden’s draft profile looks like
Howden, a preferred walk-on, played 58 games in five seasons with Minnesota. He racked up 240 total tackles, four interceptions, and 24 passes defended. Howden earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention in 2022 and Academic All-Big Ten honors for the 2019-22 seasons. He was a team captain for Minnesota in 2022.
According to Lance Zierlein with NFL.com, the six-foot, 203-pound safety is projected to be a candidate for the bottom of a roster or practice squad at the NFL level. Zierlein praises Howden for his football smarts:
“Howden is a football-savvy free safety with good instincts and play recognition but a lack of acceleration, which could create a plethora of problems for him on the pro level. He’s quick to diagnose the run, but will need to improve his tackle technique.
A lack of recovery juice could get him mismatched on the pro game, but he sees route combinations well when allowed to play as a two-deep safety. Howden has played a lot of football and can help on special teams but needs to prove himself as a tester at the NFL Scouting Combine.”
Would the Green Bay Packers draft Howden?
Howden is projected to be just outside of names called on draft weekend, as he’s rated as the 293rd player in his class. It probably wouldn’t make sense for the Packers to reach and draft Howden. However, after the draft, the Packers could take a chance on Howden as an undrafted rookie free agent.
Here are highlights of Howden during his time at Minnesota:
