The Green Bay Packers don’t like to throw rookies in at the deep end, even if they’re top-100 prospects, so it’s impressive that the team has two rookies listed as starters on its unofficial rankings ahead of this weekend’s preseason game against the Cleveland Browns.

According to the Green Bay Packers’ unofficial roster, a legally binding document, first-round rookie Jordan Morgan will start at right guard and second-round safety Javon Bullard will face new recruit Xavier McKinney.

The second safety spot was an open battle after the team rebuilt its safety room, but the best outcome was always Bullard being ready to make an early impact. The competition isn’t over yet; second-year player Anthony Johnson Jr. and fellow rookie Evan Williams are also in the running and have spent a lot of time with the freshmen.

However, the former Georgia Bulldog gets the edge thanks to his versatility and championship experience. Bullard’s ability to play multiple roles in Jeff Hafley’s defense means that regardless of whether he keeps his starting spot, he will get plenty of playing time as a rookie.

Thanks to his passionate reaction when Green Bay signed him and equally heated interviews, Bullard quickly became a fan favorite.

“I’m not going to lie, I don’t even like the word ‘comfortable,'” Bullard said earlier this offseason, earning a great response from his head coach. “No offense, but I really don’t like that word. Especially in this profession, because as soon as you get comfortable, someone has your job. And I don’t even have a job yet.”

“I think that speaks to his maturity level and obviously where he came from in Georgia and how much competition he had there,” LaFleur said. “I think that means a lot, but I think he’s shown a lot in a short amount of time.”

That passion carries over to the field, where Bullard seems to grow with each practice and learn how to play in Hafley’s defense.

His speed and ball skills have allowed him to be in the right position to make plays, and Bullard has been a solid tackler. He’s had plenty of near interceptions (a Green Bay favorite) and he’ll be an electrifying playmaker if he learns to convert those from pass breakups to turnovers.

Bullard’s strong summer translated into a standout performance under the Lambeau Lights on Family Night. The rookie safety had three particularly good plays. The first was a pass breakup on a third-and-six attempt from Love to Christian Watson. On the second, Bullard showed off his speed by keeping up with Jayden Reed in the slot on a downfield throw that Bullard nearly intercepted. And Bullard finished his final play strong, using his acceleration to quickly break up a checkdown attempt from Love to Luke Musgrave.

“You always have to play fast,” Bullard said after family night. “There’s only one way to play this game, and that’s fast and physical. I pride myself on that and try to make as many plays as possible.”

Xavier McKinney is set to be one of the team’s starting safeties, and since Family Night, Bullard has taken the other spot.

Interestingly, even though Bullard was a starter, he played fewer snaps at safety than Evan Williams. However, he did play more snaps that night because he was playing nickelback.

Whenever the Packers moved primary slot corner Keisean Nixon to the boundary, Bullard came out on top. While Nixon likely won’t spend as much time at the outside position as long as the starting boundary corners are healthy, he still showed what they can do with their versatile young safety.

The interchangeability of the safeties and Hafley’s new game system give Packers fans reason to be excited about the group for the first time in years.

“I mean, he can play post, he can get in the box, (Bullard) can jump into the nickel, he can do a lot of things, and he’s done a lot of things in a defense that’s probably as close to a pro defense as there is,” Brian Gutekunst said after drafting Bullard. “So, yeah, he’s a very versatile player. I think in our current situation, we’ll probably have him start as a safety, but he’s versatile enough to do all the things we’re asking him to do there.”

While Bullard starts opposite McKinney and is listed as a starter in the rankings, Johnson Jr. is still a first-team presence and Evan Williams is making spectacular plays. But even if Bullard doesn’t secure a “starting” spot by Week 1, it’s safe to assume he’ll get plenty of playing time. Because he plays in a professional defense, has that speed, and can play multiple positions, he’ll somehow find his way into the lineup.