2015 NFL Draft grades: Green Bay Packers take Demarious Randall

The Green Bay Packers had holes on defense, particularly in the secondary and with the linebacking corps. With the departures of Tramon Williams and Davon House, the team now lacks depth in an already shoddy secondary.

A player like Demarious Randall is exactly what the Packers needed, a tough, rangy cover safety who can limit big plays in the passing game that can plague the Packers in stretches. He is a smart safety who does well in anticipating throws and jumping routes, and when he does get into that position he remains tough in the 50-50 ball situations.

However, he can misplay balls while trying to make a play, which is something that has plagued the Packers in the past. Perhaps a linebacker would have suited them better here, as UCLA’s Eric Kendricks or Miami’s Denzel Perryman were both still available.

They decided to go with safety. The question for the Packers is whether or not Randall or Alabama’s Landon Collins was the better selection. Whereas Randall is the undersized, rangy safety who excels further away from the line of scrimmage, Landon Collins is a thumper who works best in run support and cleaning up the area just beyond the linebackers.

The Packers needed to go with defense, and they did. Randall is not he obvious pick, but he fits and has the chance to immediately start. Collins has too many holes in his game, especially in coverage.

Grade: B+

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