No. 2 — Xavier McKinney

The Green Bay Packers went 11-6 last season, sweeping the NFC West and the AFC South along the way.

Overall, though, no one in the building was happy.

The Packers failed to build on their terrific finish to the 2023 campaign, settled for the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoffs, and lost a Wild Card game to eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia.

Afterwards, general manager Brian Gutekunst turned up the heat on everybody in the building.

“We need to continue to ramp up our sense of urgency,” Gutekunst said. “I think it’s time we started competing for championships.”

Those are fair expectations.

The Packers return 20 of 22 starters, and appear to have upgraded the roster via free agency and the draft. With several third and fourth year players trending upward, Green Bay should be poised to make a move.

“I think they’re ready,” Gutekunst said.

Now, it’s time for the Packers to prove their G.M. right.

Green Bay’s first training camp practice is Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. Since late June, I’ve been counting down the ‘30 Most Important Packers’ heading into the 2025 campaign.

At No. 2 is safety Xavier McKinney.

No. 2

Xavier McKinney, S

Last season

When Green Bay hired defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley in Jan., 2024, this is how he described his perfect safety.

“I want a guy who can erase things,” Hafley said. “We got to eliminate explosive plays when we play this defense, so if a run hits up the middle, this guy’s got to come out of the middle field with his hair on fire, he’s got to be able to get a guy down. I also want him to be a guy, when a ball carrier is wrapped up, he goes and he finishes off the pile.

“I want a guy who can go from sideline to sideline and take the ball away. I think that position has to be a guy with high ball production, meaning he’s got to be able to intercept the ball. He’s got to be a guy that can communicate and he’s got to be a guy that can get guys lined up and make some calls back there and I’d love a guy that can play man, so I guess I’m describing the perfect player to you, but those are some of the traits I’d look for in playing that position.”

It’s almost as if Hafley was describing Xavier McKinney.

McKinney finished second in the NFL with eight interceptions last season and was named first-team All-Pro. He also posted 85 tackles, led the Packers with 11 passes defensed, had two tackles for loss, a sack, a fumble recovery and a quarterback hit.

McKinney’s 128 return yards after interceptions were the most by a Packer since Charlie Peprah had 147 in 2011. He also had the most interceptions by a Packer since Charles Woodson had nine in 2009.

McKinney had an interception in each of his first five games and became the first player since 1970 to record interceptions in each of the first five weeks on a new team.

McKinney was also the type of leader Green Bay needed in back after playing the 2023 season with underwhelming Darnell Savage, Rudy Ford and Jonathan Owens at safety.

Career to date

The 25-year old McKinney spent his first four seasons with the New York Giants, then signed a four-year, $67 million deal with Green Bay in March, 2024. McKinney was rated the No. 4 safety in football by Pro Football Focus in 2023 with top-10 grades in both coverage and in the box.

In 592 coverage snaps in 2023, McKinney was targeted 53 times and didn’t allow a touchdown.

McKinney had been the 36^th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

He played in just six games his rookie season due to a fractured foot. But McKinney rebounded with a strong 2021 campaign when he had a career-high five interceptions (including one for a touchdown) and 93 tackles.

McKinney missed eight games in 2022 after an ATV accident in Cabo during the team’s bye week, then rebounded with a terrific 2023 season.

McKinney ruffled some feathers by publicly criticizing former Giants’ defensive coordinator Wink Martindale in his final season with the Giants. But the Packers believed McKinney would be a terrific fit in coordinator Jeff Hafley’s 4-3 defensive scheme.

“I just think he’s a unique player to come available,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said of McKinney. “He’s one of the top safeties in the game, a guy that can be a game-changing type player. And he really kind of fits a little bit of a criteria we’re looking for in a free agent, not only as a player, but as a leader back there.”

Outlook

The Packers can’t ask much more than what McKinney delivered in 2024.

But there’s also no reason to expect a dropoff.

McKinney is just 26 years old and in his prime. He’s a perfect fit in Hafley’s defense and should only be more comfortable in his second year in the scheme.

“Second straight All-Pro, that’s obviously the goal that I’m reaching for,” Hafley said.

McKinney’s hands are sublime, and unlike most safeties, when he gets near a ball, he seems to always catch it. He’s the eyes and ears of the back end. And his value to the safety group is tough to measure.

“The guy just has a knack for the football and he’s got great ball skills,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said of McKinney. “He’s very instinctive and smart to allow him to anticipate, to make plays, and then he generally makes the play.”

They Said It …

“He holds himself to such a high standard where he doesn’t want to make mistakes, and it shows. That’s what your really good players — every play matters, just like it does to us. So that’s the biggest kind of look-in I can give you to what he’s like. He’s always wanting to be on top of his stuff. The details, the execution, the competitor. That’s who he is, and that’s why he’s a really good player.” — Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley on McKinney

“I like to say, I have my foot on their necks, and really it’s going to be the same. I’m not going to let off the gas for nothing or nobody. That same intensity, that same energy, it’s going to stay the same. Obviously I know what I want to accomplish by the end of my career and I know that in order to hit that goal these years are going to matter. So I take that seriously, I don’t take that lightly. So for me it’s just keep grinding, keep my head down, and keep locking in on the small details so I don’t get complacent and I keep having these All-Pro years.”— McKinney on the next steps for him in 2025

“It grew pretty tremendously that first year. This offseason, we’ve been staying in contact, bouncing ideas back and forth. Through this OTA series, we’ve been able to watch film, watch a few other teams and how we’d go through these type of plays – how he sees it, how I see it and just being able to have that open line of conversation.” — safety Evan Williams on his relationship with McKinney

THE TOP 30

• No. 30 — RB MarShawn Lloyd

• No. 29 — WR Dontayvion Wicks

• No. 28 — S Javon Bullard

• No. 27 — WR Savion Williams

• No. 26 — LB Isaiah McDuffie

• No. 25 — OL Jordan Morgan

• No. 24 — WR Matthew Golden

• No. 23 — CB Carrington Valentine

• No. 22 — WR Romeo Doubs

• No. 21 — QB Malik Willis

• N0. 20 — DE Lukas Van Ness

• No. 19 — RG Sean Rhyan

• No. 18 — LT Rasheed Walker

• No. 17 — DT Devonte Wyatt

• No. 16 — S Evan Williams

• No. 15 — CB Nate Hobbs

• No. 14 — LB Quay Walker

• No. 13 — OL Aaron Banks

• No. 12 — CB Keisean Nixon

• No. 11 — K Brandon McManus

• No. 10 — TE Tucker Kraft

• No. 9 — WR Jayden Reed

• No. 8 — DT Kenny Clark

• No. 7 — RT Zach Tom

• No. 6 — Elgton Jenkins

• No. 5 — DE Rashan Gary

• No. 4 — RB Josh Jacobs

• No. 3 — LB Edgerrin Cooper