Xavier McKinney: I don’t care that he signed a big free agent contract, X has been a huge addition to a team that has not had a top safety since Nick Collins in 2010. And X’s impact has not just been on the field with all of his interceptions and solid overall play, he also seems to be a leader who is helping other players around him get better, including the rookie Safeties.
Evan Williams: Packer rookie defenders rarely provide immediate impact, but 4th rounder Williams certainly has. I don’t know of a higher compliment than saying that Evan looks like a really good football player (rather than a RAS warrior). Hope he gets back from his injury soon.
Malik Willis: If someone would have told fans on Labor Day that Malik Willis would be responsible for 3 of the Packers 6 wins in the first 2 months of the season, no one (including Malik’s loving mother) would have believed him. Willis looks to be the best backup QB in GB since Zeke Bratkowski.
Edgerrin Cooper: After so many season of watching Packer ILBs who were physically (Hawk, Martinez, Ryan, McDuffie, etc.) or “instinctively” (Q. Walker) incapable of making plays at ILB, Cooper has been a revelation. He is the best blitzer and the best down the seam coverage ILBer in forever. He may not yet be “assignment sure”, but I’d like to see him get more playing time because 10+ years of “assignment sure” ILBs has gotten the defense nowhere.
Josh Jacobs: He was signed to be RB1 so perhaps his effective play should not be that big of a surprise. However, seeing a Packer RB get better as the number of his touches increases is not something we’ve seen since Eddie Lacy was in his prime.
Daniel Whelan: Hard to praise a punter too much, but GB has had mediocre or worse punters for so long that I believe Whelan deserves a shout out. Would love to see him remain consistent and a fixture with the Pack for years to come.
