Green Bay Packers rookie safety Evan Williams has been very impressive in training camp in the secondary. He was the 111th overall pick (fourth-round selection) in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Oregon. Williams has been rotating with rookie Javon Bullard throughout camp.
Bullard was a second-round pick out of Georgia in the 2024 NFL Draft. Xavier McKinney will be one of the safety starters for the Green Bay Packers after he was signed as a free agent in the offseason. McKinney played with the New York Giants a season ago.
Williams played in 13 games last season with the Oregon Ducks. He recorded 82 total tackles, 5.0 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks, zero interceptions, two pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble.
Green Bay Packers Safety Evan Williams Talks About the Interception He Had At the End Of Practice On Wednesday
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At the end of practice on Wednesday, Evan Williams intercepted Jordan Love in the end zone. In the same play, Christian Watson injured his knee but avoided a major injury. Williams said to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic about making the interception on the final play of practice on Wednesday:
“That was just an internal hook, zone and yeah, first read on a pass, got a pass key, was able to kinda drop out of there. I saw a special coming from the front side, just a little over route from C-Wat and yeah, I knew they didn’t have too much space behind me in the low red, so I was just kinda playing it underneath, just zone turn. He threw the ball, probably a little bit of a height difference there and just a good little jump ball and I was able to go get it.”
Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney also added about the play Williams made in practice on Wednesday:
“I thought it was fantastic. I thought he did a great job of finishing practice the right way. It was a great high-point. Obviously, it’s a two-minute situation, so we needed that. That won us the game. I thought it was great. I think he’s been doing a lot of great things for us as a defense and as a backend, as a unit. It’s been fun to see him.”
Entering training camp, it appeared as if Xavier McKinney and rookie Javon Bullard were going to be the starting safeties. Now, Evan Williams has a chance to steal Bullard’s spot with the performance he has been having in training camp. They both will have a chance to make plays in a preseason matchup against the Cleveland Browns on Saturday.
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It will be interesting to see how Bullard and Williams play. Both rookies will be worth a watch in the preseason games.
