PFF's Big Board for the 2021 NFL Draft offers three-year player grades, combine measurables, position rankings, and in-depth player analysis for all of the top draft prospects. As a refresher for anybody too young to remember, Sanders was a game-changing safety for the Indianapolis Colts back in the 2000s, so much so that he was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year for the 2007 season. He hasn’t allowed a touchdown as the primary coverage defender in two years, and over that time opposing quarterbacks have only been marginally better off targeting him than they have been just throwing the ball into the dirt every snap (passer rating of 43.4 when targeting Savage vs 39.6 for an incompletion). Savage has now posted an overall PFF grade of 86.0 or higher in each of the past two seasons. Time (and upcoming QBs) will tell, The Smiths' five sacks set defensive tone again in Packers' run to 3-0, Questionable calls, QB woes plague Vikings in loss at Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers, Packers begin new chapter with Matt LaFleur. — PFF GB Packers (@PFF_Packers) May 6, 2019 Since that touchdown, Savage was targeted 94 times and didn’t allow any touchdowns while knocking down 11 passes and picking off seven balls. PFF signature stats download for all draft prospects by position. Welcome to Packers Wire's European Union Experience. He didn’t allow a sack despite playing 571 pass-blocking snaps. Sanders’ play was characterized primarily by the way he flew around the field like a human missile. Players that might be a perfect fit in one scheme may have no place in another, and the value in a modern-safety being able to do a variety of different jobs has never been higher. This site is neither endorsed, nor sponsored by, nor affiliated with Green Bay Packers or NFL Properties LLC. 2018 saw a significant step forward in his production in the run game, as Savage started to channel that aggression and burst into focused plays, rather than out of control recklessness. During his time in the league, Sanders was an impact playmaker and only the fourth safety to win the award since it was instituted in 1971. Maryland’s Darnell Savage Jr might just be that guy. Over the past two years, the passer rating Savage has allowed when covering the slot is the second-best mark in the draft class. Packers find safety combo in Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage Jr. Bowen: 15 rookies who landed with the perfect NFL teams. Guard Elgton Jenkins, the 44th overall pick, and safety Darnell Savage, the 21st overall pick, both made the team at their respective positions. 3 of 6. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NCAA player performance data. Despite that fragility, however, he was one of the most impactful secondary players the league has seen in the past decade or so, and it is no coincidence that the Colts won their Super Bowl during his peak. Share this article 130 shares share tweet text email link Zach Kruse. While Buffalo needed him to make a Year 2 leap, ... Darnell Savage, S, Green Bay Packers. By: Zach Kruse. His performance to date has seen Oliver's PFF grade bottom out at 52.8. Few safeties attack the play the way Savage does, and his burst to the football once he sets off is something no other safety in this class can match. — PFF Draft (@PFF_College) April 24, 2019 Darnell Savage Jr. How the Packers overhauled everything to get back to the NFC Championship Game, Packers have 'got a defense,' but it's hard to figure, In Mike Pettine, Matt LaFleur trusts: Packers' defense in good hands, NFL Rookie Rankings: Josh Jacobs tops the list, Kyler Murray isn't on it, What is the Packers' defensive ID? How rare was Aaron Rodgers' dreadful stat line against Buccaneers? He was a fast, rangy safety that arrived with violent intent both in the run and pass game. NFL and PFF player stats for Green Bay Packers S Darnell Savage on Pro Football Focus. Savage is a versatile, impact safety for 2019’s NFL and just so happens to fly to the football like a guided missile on many of his plays. His time in the league was unfortunately cut too short because of injuries, but we may very well see the next incarnation in the form of Darnell Savage Jr. 250+ three-page scouting profiles - advanced stats, 3-year grades, player comps, combine data and Senior Bowl grades - for the 2021 draft class. Green Bay Packers is a registered trademark of the Green Bay Packers LLC. In 2018, Savage allowed just 50% of passes thrown into his coverage to be caught when he was in the slot, and three of his picks came on those targets. Latest on FS Darnell Savage including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on NFL.com The safety position in today’s NFL is really several distinct positions depending on scheme, all living under one umbrella of nomenclature for convenience. As a refresher for anybody too young to remember, Sanders was a game-changing safety for the Indianapolis Colts back in the 2000s, so much so that he was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year for the 2007 season. What if I told you Bob Sanders v2.0 was available in the 2019 NFL Draft? Savage isn’t built quite as compactly as Sanders (with a few extra inches in height), but they posted very similar workout numbers and measurements otherwise, and Savage's tape does bring to mind some of those vintage Sanders plays. Unlock NFL Player Grades, Fantasy & NFL Draft, Unlock Premium Stats, PFF Greenline & DFS, Unlock College Player Grades and Preview Magazine, Unlock NCAA Premium Stats & PFF Greenline NCAA, As a refresher for anybody too young to remember, Sanders was a game-changing safety for the. It was that style of play that – at a listed weight of 206 pounds – ultimately proved to be too much for his own body to take, and he quickly began to break down with injuries, eventually bowing out of the league having never again hit those heights of 2007. Studs and duds from Packers' 38-10 loss to Buccaneers in Week 6. Safety Darnell Savage has been rising up draft boards and may be selected in the first round, according to Ian Rapoport. Latest on Green Bay Packers safety Darnell Savage including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on ESPN Savage played four seasons at Maryland and did it all in 2018, as he recorded 52 tackles (5.5 TFL), four interceptions, and two pass deflections. Jenkins, who took over as a starter in Week 3, graded out at PFF as both the NFL’s top rookie guard and a top-10 left guard in the NFL. Copyright: © 2020 ESPN Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. Savage has the ability to play across a number of different schemes, and his experience covering the slot at Maryland has huge value in a league that is asking safeties to do more and more of that – particularly to combat matchup weapons on offense. His explosion is evident on tape and reflected in his workout numbers, where he actually beat Sanders over 40 yards and rivaled his jump marks. He showed great instincts along with a … Coverage has been the highest-graded facet of his play, thanks in large part to that burst enabling him to rack up seven interceptions and 11 pass breakups over that span. He missed six fewer tackles this year than the previous season and was far more zeroed in on his targets than in the past. September 18, 2019 12:17 pm ET. Packers Wire post-game chat: Talking through a terrible time in Tampa Bay, As expected, pressure decided Packers-Buccaneers showdown, Aaron Rodgers after 38-10 loss: Packers 'needed a kick in the ass', Packers come out flat after bye week for second year in a row under Matt LaFleur, Packers QB Aaron Rodgers explains game-changing pick-six vs. Bucs, Anatomy of a Play: How the Buccaneers fooled Aaron Rodgers for a pick-six, Packers hopeful LT David Bakhtiari avoided serious injury, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Packers S Darnell Savage is PFF's 8th highest-graded rookie through 2 weeks. Maryland’s Darnell Savage Jr might just be that guy. Sanders played in the NFL for eight seasons but never once lasted a full 16-game schedule.