Behind every successful NFL team are contributions from unexpected players. For the 2019 Green Bay Packers that added production came from Allen Lazard and Chandon Sullivan. 

After being a four-year starter at Georgia State, Sullivan was an undrafted free agent in 2018 that signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. During his rookie season he would appear in five games, including one start, with a majority of his snaps taking place between Weeks 10 and 12. Not to mention that nearly half of his 140 total snaps came on special teams. 

But for an undrafted rookie, even making a final roster is a success, let alone seeing meaningful playing time. Unfortunately, even with Philadelphia's need at the cornerback position, they let go of Sullivan during the 2019 offseason. However, as they say, one team's loss is another team's gain.

Well, Sullivan ended up being a huge gain for the Green Bay Packers. 

From Week 4 and on, Sullivan would see steady playing time. In fact, in seven of the final 13 regular-season games, he would take at least 40 snaps, including two games with over 60. And Sullivan ended up posting some crazy good defensive numbers when he was on the field.

For the season, Sullivan was targeted 36 times and allowed a completion percentage of just 41.7 percent and opposing quarterbacks had a passer rating of only 43.1 when throwing his direction. On top of that he didn't give up a single touchdown or penalty, and he only missed one tackle all season while also coming away with an interception in Dallas. Which of course, Sullivan gets bonus points for it being in Dallas against the Cowboys.

Even better, Sullivan was a reliable tackler, missing just one tackle in 2019 and showing that he can contribute against the run as well. According to Pro Football Focus, Sullivan's run-stop percentage ranked as the ninth-best among all NFL cornerbacks that played at least 20 percent of their team's defensive snaps.  

No, that isn't a large sample size by any means but you can't deny the numbers that Sullivan posted either. They were some of the best in the NFL. 

As we look ahead to this upcoming season, Sullivan's role is likely going to increase, especially with Tramon Williams still unsigned in free agency. For much of the 2019 season, Williams was the Packers nickel corner but Sullivan took 145 snaps there as well and as illustrated above, he was quite effective. 

Now the position heading into training camp is up for grabs and after the draft, GM Brian Gutekunst mentioned that Sullivan along with Jaire Alexander, Darnell Savage, and Josh Jackson were all options to fill that need. While that may be true, at this point in time, I have to think that Sullivan is the favorite.

I have no doubt that Alexander would be a successful nickel corner but with hardly any experienced options to play out wide, Green Bay is better off keeping him on the boundaries against the opponents No. 1 receiver. Meanwhile, with Savage's versatility and ability to fly around the field, you'd have to think the Packers would rather let him roam than lock him into one specific role. And we've still seen little evidence that Josh Jackson can hold his own in man coverage. 

Sure, we may see each of those players lining up in the slot this season at various times, however, it's Sullivan's job for the taking. Although he isn't limited to that position either. During training camp and the preseason, it was Sullivan's ability to line up just about anywhere and still make plays that caught the attention of the coaching staff. 

Former Defensive Backs Coach, Jason Simmons had this to say about Sullivan last season:

"He made plays everywhere," Simmons said. "When you have a guy who could be that versatile, I don't care who goes down. I just say, 'Hey Chandon, go in there.' He's mentally prepared to handle it and then his physical skill set can handle all the positions we have."

Overall this is a very inexperienced Packers' cornerback room that has Kevin King - who is in Year 4 - as the most experienced player on the roster. This means there are a lot of unknowns and if Chandon Sullivan can build upon his 2019 performance and emerge as Green Bay's go-to slot corner, it will go a long way in solidifying this Green Bay secondary.