The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2024 NFL draft.
The Green Bay Packers have a new defensive coordinator in town. While this may be Jeff Hafley’s first stint as a defensive coordinator in the NFL, he’s had plenty of stops along the way to lead one to believe he could be a successful coordinator. One of those stops was at Ohio State in 2019, where he served as a co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach.
A player that Hafley coached at Ohio State is Josh Proctor. Given his familiarity with Hafley, the Ohio State safety could be a Day 3 target in the 2024 NFL Draft for the Packers as they look for safety help this offseason.
A four-star recruit, Proctor picked off one pass and broke up three more passes during the 2019 season. The following season, the Ohio State safety picked off one pass and recorded one tackle for loss.
Proctor suffered a compound fracture during the 2021 season and started to look like his former self this past season. Proctor recorded 47 tackles, four tackles for loss, one interception and broke up eight passes.
“Josh Proctor was the guy who tied everything together for the Ohio State defense,” Tony Gerdeman, the lead writer for Buckeye Huddle, said. “The Buckeyes generally play a two-high defense and Proctor was the free safety playing the wide side of the field. He was often the last line of defense for a unit that allowed just two plays of 40 yards on the season. He was a sixth-year guy last year so he’s seen everything and played in multiple defensive systems. Last year was the first time in his OSU career that he played in the same defensive system with the same defensive coordinator two years in a row, which has also hampered his growth and production.”
Proctor brings a certain level of versatility to the secondary. He can line up in the slot and matchup with wide receivers and has the size to cover tight ends. The former four-star recruit also can play deep.
“Proctor had a compound fracture of his right leg in 2021 so he’s probably not the athlete he once was, but he never looked held back last year,” Gerdeman said. “Some people will tell you that his greatest strength is his physicality, but that implies he’s an in-the-box safety, which doesn’t truly describe his overall skill set. He can cover ground as a deep safety or be a strong safety to help out closer to the line of scrimmage. His greatest strength is probably that he can be any kind of safety you need.”
Whoa, impressive wingspan. The Ohio State safety is well-put together and has long arms and a wide tackle radius to lasso ball carriers to the ground. He’s a reliable tackler and is fearless coming downhill. He runs the alley with purpose and closes with burst.
“Proctor is best known by Ohio State fans for this big hit from his sophomore season back in 2019, so he doesn’t shy away from the contact and has the size to hold up,” Gerdeman said. “You don’t see him miss many tackles. It’s never been an issue with him.”
In coverage, Proctor has good range playing centerfield and gets proper depth. The former four-star recruit has good field vision and trusts his eyes. He’s a smart player and keeps everything in front of him. The Buckeye safety understands angles and gets from point A to point B quickly. He uses his length to choke passing lanes.
“Early in his career Proctor was known as a guy who had a way of finding the football,” Gerdeman said. “In fall camp as a sophomore, he was coming up with multiple interceptions each week. He even started earning some comparisons to 2016 OSU First-Team All-American Malik Hooker, who was a first-round pick in 2017. Former defensive coordinator Greg Schiano would also talk about his range back then. He was the backup to Jordan Fuller during his first two years on campus. Consistency has been an issue throughout his career, however. Last year was his first consistent season in coverage. He opened the 2022 season as the starting strong safety but lost the job after a few games.”
Proctor has the makings of a core special teams player at the next level. During his time at Ohio State, Proctor logged 412 snaps on special teams.
“Special teams will likely be in his future in order to make the 53-man roster until he proves himself as a viable two-deep guy on defense,” Gerdeman said. “He has had various roles there in his career, including kickoff coverage and punt gunner. The importance of special teams is preached constantly at Ohio State so I don’t think he would have a problem embracing that kind of role.”
Fit with the Packers
Brian Gutekunst wants his safeties to be versatile. Proctor is an interchangeable piece that could play in the slot, free safety, or strong safety.
“It really helps your defense to be multiple and flexible so teams can’t get a bead on what you’re doing,” Gutekunst said via Packers.com, at the NFL Scouting Combine. “So, in a perfect world, quite frankly, between the two safeties and the nickel, those three guys almost need to be interchangeable completely.”
Proctor is a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none type prospect. He’s a reliable open-field tackler and is a willing participant in run support. He’s rock-solid in coverage and is rarely out of position. The former Buckeye safety is just a well-rounded prospect who doesn’t necessarily have any flash to his game and that’s okay, every team needs those glue guys that quietly go about their business.
“One of the reasons Josh Proctor came back for his sixth season was to improve his stock and show the NFL what he was truly capable of doing,” Gerdeman said. “He was on a mission. He didn’t have a guaranteed job on the defense when he decided to come back but he won the free safety job and then made it his. An NFL team is going to get somebody who has seen it all and done most of it as well. If I were a general manager, I know the Ohio State coaches would have nothing but good things to say about him physically, mentally, or culturally. He’s working to live out his dream. It’s taken him a long time to get here so don’t expect him to give up on it without a fight. The doctors will also have their say.”
The Packers need help at safety. It was their weakest position on the roster last season and it’s a room that’s in desperate need of a makeover.
While Proctor is not regarded as one of the top safeties in the 2024 NFL Draft, he could step in and provide depth at multiple spots in the secondary, while being an ace on special teams.
The Packers own six picks on Day 3 of the draft. The Ohio State safety could be a potential target with one of those selections.
