The Green Bay Packers Are Suddenly Very Deep in the Defensive Backfield

Before the 2015 NFL draft, the Green Bay Packers definitely had some depth issues in the defensive backfield.

The team had lost both Tramon Williams and Davon House in free agency. Each player had logged a lot of time on the field, as Williams was a seven-year starter at cornerback, while House was used frequently when the Packers went to nickel or dime looks in the secondary.

Although the Packers lost both Williams and House, the team was able to secure safety Sean Richardson, as they matched a deal he had signed with the Oakland Raiders while No. 28 was a restricted free agent.

Even with that signing, the Packers still had to add depth to the secondary. Before the draft, the depth chart for cornerbacks in the secondary included Sam Shields, Casey Hayward, Micah Hyde and Demetri Goodson.

The depth chart at the safety position included Morgan Burnett, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Chris Banjo, Kyle Sebetic and Richardson.

There was also the question of whether the team would re-sign cornerback Jarrett Bush, who was an unrestricted free agent. (More on that later.)

During the draft, general manager Ted Thompson made adding talent to the secondary his No. 1 priority, as he drafted Damarious Randall in the first round and Quinten Rollins in the second.

Randall played safety at Arizona State, but the Packers see him in a different role in Green Bay.

Thompson talked about where the 5'11", 196-pound defensive back would play in the Green Bay secondary to the media, per Packers.com.

"I don't know how that will work, but I'm looking at him as a corner today," Thompson said. "If next week we decided he's a safety, then it doesn't matter. He's still going to be on the field a lot of the time."

Randall sure impressed folks at the NFL Scouting Combine, as the new No. 23 of the Packers put together a very nice workout. Randall ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash and also excelled in both the three-cone drill and the 20-yard shuttle.

In terms of production on the field at Arizona State, the 30th pick of the 2015 NFL draft had 135 solo tackles, 15 tackles for a loss, one sack, six interceptions (including two for touchdowns), 12 passes defended and four forced fumbles in two years with the Sun Devils.

Tom Uhlman/Associated Press

In terms of the selection of Rollins, I was not surprised, as I had the Packers taking him in my final mock draft.

I had also written a piece a month ago talking about how much Rollins reminded me of Williams.

The 5'11", 195-pound Rollins has almost the exact dimensions of Williams. He also has a similar skill set. Each player has great instincts in reacting to a pass thrown in his direction.

Rollins had a fabulous season at Miami of Ohio in 2014, which was the only season he played football at the school. Before then, he was the starting point guard for the basketball team.

In his one and only year of football, Rollins had 72 total tackles, four tackles for a loss, seven interceptions (one for a touchdown), nine passes defended and one forced fumble.

Rollins was also named the 2014 MAC Defensive Player of the Year.

Rollins was assigned No. 24 by the Packers. That designation means Jarrett Bush will not be back, as that was his former number.

But the Packers weren't done adding to the depth chart in the defensive backfield, as they signed cornerback/safety Ladarius Gunter of Miami (FL) as an undrafted rookie free agent.

I had the Packers taking Gunter in my first mock draft.

The 6'1", 202-pound Gunter had a nice week at the Senior Bowl, but he disappointed scouts with his 4.69 time in the 40 at the combine. Gunter was able to improve that time slightly at his pro day, running a 4.65.

Randall, Rollins and Gunter can each play safety as well as cornerback, plus each would be an excellent asset on special teams. The Packers have to believe that, otherwise they would have re-signed Bush, who was one of the best players on special teams for Green Bay.

That being said, the Packers were ranked 32nd in the league in special teams last year, based on the data put together by Rick Gosselin of The Dallas Morning News.

So instead of having depth issues in the secondary, the Packers now have a different set of questions.

Who will be in the starting secondary? Right now, it looks to be Shields, Hayward, Burnett and Clinton-Dix.

Who will be the nickel corner? Right now, that would be Hyde, but I expect No. 33 to be pushed by both Randall and Rollins.

Who will be part of the dime package? That will be an interesting battle between Randall, Rollins, Richardson and Goodson for that job. It might depend on the down and distance to see who that might be.

How many players in the secondary will the Packers keep on the final roster? That's hard to say. I don't believe it will be less than nine—not in the pass-happy NFL. I could see the Packers keeping as many as 10 players in the secondary, too.

In terms of which players in the secondary make the final 53-man roster, the ability to perform well on special teams will play a huge role in making that decision.

In 2014, the Packers had one of the deepest and most talented secondaries in the NFL. Green Bay ranked 10th in passing defense in the league and the secondary ranked seventh in lowest passer rating, as opposing quarterbacks had just an 82.0 mark against the Pack.

The Packers were also tied for seventh in the league with 18 interceptions.

So, how will the Packers' secondary rank in 2015? I believe the rankings will be similar, if not better, based on the additions the team has made to the defensive backfield.

It will be tough to replace a cornerback like Williams, who had a stellar career in Green Bay, but Randall and Rollins have similar noses for the football and look to have fine futures in Titletown.