Darnell Savage was taken 21st overall in The 2019 Draft. He had a pretty good first year in the NFL, but Savage showed he has room to improve. Savage has the raw talent to be a star in this league, and that was shown all year.
When Coach Matt Lafleur was asked about Savage in a media conference last week, he had this to say about him. “I think he has a bright future. He displayed some great things last year, and the more comfortable he is with our defense. The more detail-oriented he is. I think he is going to make more plays and I’m excited about how he’s attacked it daily. It just has to translate from the practice field to making plays on Sundays.”
The team believes that he can make a jump from a rookie with promise, to a star in this league and defense.
With teams more likely to stay away from Jaire Alexander’s side, he is unlikely to be a significant playmaker on defense. This opportunity allows Savage to make plays and impact this team by forcing turnovers.
Darnell also had media availability last week. When asked what he was going to do to make a year two jump, he emphasized film study, learning the game, and discovering his role in this defense more. Savage also said there are always ways to improve and he is trying to find them. He talked about striving to be the best, “If you aren’t doing it to be the best, then what are you doing, anyway. I’m not going to stop until I’m on top of the world.”
Here Are Some Things We Can See Savage Improve This Year:
Helping In The Run Game:
Savage had times last season when he had trouble picking his run gaps and also getting off blocks. As the year went on, he improved with doing those things.
If Savage can grow in supporting the defense with his run-stopping ability, he would be such an asset to this team, In the role of a swiss army knife-type player for Mike Pettine to use on defense.
Being More Aggressive:
Savage has incredible skill with being able to track the ball or ball carrier down. Yet sometimes he will sit back and let the play come to him when he probably should have been more aggressive. Look for these skills to improve.
Being a rookie and learning the mechanics of a defensive playbook can be difficult. If Savage can slow down the game in his mind, and know where he is supposed to be, he will be in a great position to make plays this year.
Closing thoughts: Darnell Savage is a great young talent that the packers have on defense. His ability to be a playmaker at safety is what this defense needs. We will see him improve this year and possibly become a young defensive star in this league.
As Always
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