It's not usual for a seventh-round pick to have a realistic path to see the field early in the NFL, expect for special teams. But Anthony Johnson Jr. may be an outlier for the Green Bay Packers this year. Considering how much experience he has, his decent floor, and the depth at the position, it's not absurd to think the defensive back might end up starting games opposite Darnell Savage by the end of his rookie season.

The safety position is arguably a need since last year, when both Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage were entering contract years and there was no long-term plan behind them. However, the Packers decided to keep things as they were, exercising Savage's guaranteed fifth-year option of $ 7.9 million for 2023. The performance level last year was bad, and Rudy Ford was probably the best option. Savage and Ford are back now, and Amos was let go, so the need was even more pronounced. In free agency, they have added Jonathan Owens, a former Houston Texans starter, and Tarvarius Moore, who was mostly a special teamer for the San Francisco 49ers. Owens has a chance to begin the season as the starter, but it isn't a sure thing. The position also wasn't addressed in the draft until the final minutes of the process, when the Packers finally took Johnson with the 242nd overall pick.

And, according to defensive coordinator Joe Barry, there's no definition about who will be the second starting safety.

"That's the great thing about the offseason," Barry said. "We get that nine week period where we get to get our hands on the guys, and we are in that fifth week right now. We've got some new faces in that room, but that's what OTAs are for, obviously training camp is for, but we are in the beginning stages of that process of finding that out."

Why can Anthony Johnson be impactful?

Anthony Johnson Jr can be a starter in this Packers defense!

Tough as nails! Excellent top/down instincts, play ID & tackling. Sorts thru trash. Not afraid to take on OL

I can see him sliding right into Amos role Day 1. I know it’s a rather large projection for a 7th Rd pick pic.twitter.com/nLTGTPAcyw

— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) May 1, 2023

The first argument is pure football experience. It's not normal for a rookie to have played so much football. Anthony Johnson was thrown into the fire right away at Iowa State, playing seven games as a freshman. As he stayed there for five seasons, taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility because of covid, Johnson ended up playing 57 college football games, which included 54 starts. Throughout his career, he had 164 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss, three sacks, 28 passes defended, and two interceptions (both during his final year). He was a cornerback for most of the time, making a full-time transition to safety in 2022, which explains why he wasn't highly drafted, but still can be a good NFL player. In his only season as a full-time safety, he started all 12 games and received a second-team all-conference award. His NFL.com draft profile views him as a fifth-round prospect.

He obviously has a lot of technique points to improve on, but there are positive signs to lean on. According to Tony Pauline's scouting report at Pro Football Network, Johnson is a "tough, run-defending safety who flashes ability against the pass. Aggressive, punishes opponents, and delivers crushing blows. Immediately diagnoses plays, works hard to defend passes, and fires upfield against the run." Those are all important characteristics to play alongside Darnell Savage in the secondary. Pauline mentions Johnson doesn't have impressive athleticism and that "he needs to brush up on his coverage techniques, but has enough ability to be used as a zone safety." That's exactly what his role will be.

Pro Football Focus loves Johnson. According to the analytics-driven website, "while Johnson proved reliable on the outside, his move to safety was a resounding success in his senior season".
"The biggest riser on PFF's big board, Johnson is durable and versatile while still occasionally showcasing his skills as a former cornerback. His 3,159 defensive snaps played are the fifth-most of any Power Five defensive back since 2018. The vast majority of those snaps came against high-powered Big 12 offenses, yet he still carried a 90.0 career coverage grade."

Anthony Johnson is probably not good enough to play as a single-high safety, but the Packers will basically never ask him to do so — at least not until he's fully developed. And what he can do, with his ability in the run support, enough skills to play deep half, and maybe occasionally as a slot corner, those are all things might excel at, with potential to provide much more value than a normal seventh-round pick would.

Photo: USA Today