Impactful young piece opens up on his mental preparation for stepping into a major role with the Packers defense this season

The transition from college to the NFL is hard enough. But second-round pick Javon Bullard had to go a step beyond it in his first season with the Green Bay Packers. Initially, he was a full-time starting safety alongside Xavier McKinney. However, due to injuries in the secondary, Bullard moved back and forth to nickel.

Overall, the rookie played 333 snaps in the slot, 259 as a deep safety, 167 in the box, 20 at the line of scrimmage, and even six as an outside corner. As you could expect in this type of circumstance, it wasn't always smooth. Going into Year 2, Bullard is readier for it—which includes the possibility of playing all around Jeff Hafley's defense.

"I was a little naïve. Like, okay, I'm playing nickel this week. I'm good. Then somebody goes down, 'Oh Bull, go to safety.' My mind wasn't on that," Bullard told Packers.com. "Now I'm conscious of it. I wasn't preparing for that last year. I was more so preparing for the position I'm playing, that's it. But now, there's a possibility I could play both. Alright, let's do it. Study both. Be a pro. Be on your (stuff)."

Last year, Javon Bullard allowed a 121.4 passer rating when targeted. He was efficient as a tackler and run defender, but getting better in pass coverage is a priority for his second season.

"I'm a DB, man, you're going to get beat. You can't get mentally down on yourself," Bullard added. "We're hard on ourselves. We challenge ourselves. We work our butt off every day, and when the results don't add up, you can't get down."

He spent significant parts of training camp as a nickel corner. But now with Xavier McKinney out for a few weeks due to a calf injury, Bullard should move back to safety alongside fellow second-year player Evan Williams. The versatility and how he attacks practice got praise from head coach Matt LaFleur, who indicated Bullard has had an "outstanding" camp.

"He's a really good, young player who's going to continue to get better and better the more he plays," LaFleur detailed.

Javon Bullard will have a big role within the defense. And his positional versatility is treated as a bonus, not as a burden that he should regretfully carry.