Packers Day 3 Pick Projected to Have ‘Instant Impact’ as Rookie

The Green Bay Packers brought in a ton of players in the 2024 NFL Draft, but Day 3 pick Kitan Oladapo is projected to be a sleeper rookie to have an instant impact this season.

Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine broke down a handful of Day 3 picks who could be instant impact players. This list included some skill players like Javon Baker and Audric Estime. However, Ballentine also made sure to highlight Oladapo in Green Bay.

“Oladapo’s other competition is going to come from his fellow draftees,” Ballentine wrote. “There’s also the possibility of the 6’2″, 216-pound Oladapo being able to play as a de facto linebacker in sub-packages. There are a lot of ways he could get on the field, and his position group is relatively unproven outside of McKinney.”

With such a wide open safety room, Oladapo could find his way onto the field earlier than other Day 3 picks.

Kitan Oladapo Scouting Report

Even if he wasn’t a top safety prospect, there’s enough from Oladapo’s time at Oregon State to suggest he could have a role in the NFL.

Oladapo was a three-year starter for the Beavers. He finished his career with a second-team All-Pac-12 selection on a strong Oregon State team. In 55 career games, he racked up 15 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, three interceptions, and 23 pass breakups.

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein was higher on Oladapo than where he was drafted. Along with a fourth-round grade, Zierlein compared the Packers rookie to Jaquiski Tartt.

“Oladapo possesses classic strong safety traits and play attributes, which should help evaluators define him more easily,” Zierlein wrote. “He’s likely to come in as a backup with special teams duties but has a pretty good shot of becoming an eventual starter.”

The film lines up with that evaluation. Oladapo has very good size at 6’2″ and 216 pounds. On top of that, he’s a reliable tackler with surprisingly good body control to come away with turnovers.

Oladapo still needs some polish to his game. However, he’s in a great position to develop while competing for playing time in Green Bay.

Green Bay’s New-Look Safety Room

The Packers will have almost an entirely new safety room in 2024. On top of that, they’ll have a new defensive coordinator in Jeff Hafley to set the secondary up for success.

Xavier McKinney was the team’s premiere free agent signing this offseason. The Packers signed him to a four-year, $68 million contract to make him one of the league’s highest-paid safeties.

McKinney will hold down one of the starting jobs. The rookies will be competing with second-year safety Anthony Johnson Jr. for the other spot. The Packers took three safeties in this year’s draft, but Javon Bullard will be the favorite to start alongside McKinney.

Bullard was a high-caliber player for Georgia the past couple of seasons. He’s a versatile playmaker with solid movement skills and good tackling ability despite his smaller frame. If Bullard holds down the other starting spot, then Oladapo will need to compete with former Oregon safety Evan Williams for a rotational role.

Regardless of who ends up starting, Packers fans are relieved that the team addressed a huge need at the safety position.