The Green Bay Packers left no stone unturned in reinventing their safety room this offseason. After signing veteran Xavier McKinney and selecting Javon Bullard and Evan Williams early in the NFL Draft, they bought themselves some insurance at the position by drafting former Oregon State standout Kitan Oladapo in the fifth round.

Oladapo was a defensive captain and three-year starter for the Beavers, finishing as one of their top-two tacklers each of the past two years. The 23-year-old safety brings some versatility and toughness to the Packers roster. In college, he recorded 249 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, 24 pass breakups, and three interceptions.

Full transparency here, Oladapo was one of my favorite players in college football last season. Not only am I a diehard Packers fan, but I also have a strong affinity for the Oregon State Beavers. I live less than a two-hour drive from their stadium, and I attend a couple of their games every season. Last year, I even had the chance to sit next to Oladapo's family during his impressive two-interception performance against Standford.

I really love this player, and I am elated he is a Green Bay Packer. However, despite my personal interest in rooting for his journey in the NFL, I tried to watch his games and point out aspects of it in an objective manner. For this piece, I went back and watched six of his games from the 2023 season (Oregon, Washington, Stanford, Washington St, Utah, UCLA), three 2022 games (Fresno St, Washington, USC), and one 2021 game (Utah State).

Having already been very familiar with the player, I tried to watch his film with fresh eyes and note what stands out about his game and where he struggles. Here are my observations from his film and what he brings to the Packers roster as a rookie.

Traits to Love and What Kitan Oladapo Brings to the Packers

1) Active Run Defender -- Because of Oladapo's size, it's easy to envision him playing a box safety role at the next level. However, he's also physical and shows good instincts as a run defender. Essentially, in a nickel defense, Oladapo can move up in the box and serve as a third linebacker, if needed.

On this play from the 2022 Washington game, the Huskies are in 11 personnel (1 RB + 1 TE), forcing the defense to play nickel. Oladapo lines up in the box to the offense's right, where the tight end is aligned, essentially playing as an outside linebacker against the run. Because he is lined up just outside the tackle, he functions as a "force" player, and it's his job to contain the outside run. Oladapo does a great job on this play moving downhill once he sees the tight end down block. He meets the tailback at the line of scrimmage and does a good job staying square and low to make the tackle.

Oladapo is a strong tackler in space, and this is shown here on this play. It also demonstrates how well Oladapo reads and reacts to the run. Another good example of this is from the 2023 Washington game. The Huskies are in 11 personnel again and the Beavers respond with a nickel look. Once the offense motions the tight end into the backfield, Oladapo moves up in the box, anticipating run. The two linebackers bury themselves in blocks, but Oladapo is free to make the play. He meets the running back in the hole, lowers his shoulder, and makes the stop.

It's another nice solo tackle from Oladapo. He also reads the play perfectly and flows to the ball with no wasted steps.

On this final example, Oladapo lines up as a deep safety in the middle of the field. However, he quickly reads the play and flies downhill to tackle the Utah tailback.

Oladapo shows impressive burst to close ground and rally to ball carriers in pursuit. The former Oregon State safety is an active run defender, whether he's lined up in the box or as a deep safety. He shows a great knack for reading run plays, flowing to the ball, and a willingness to stick his nose in the action.

2) Physical Tackler -- While Oladapo shows good range against the run, he can also pack a punch when he arrives to the party. He's not afraid to lower his shoulder and pop his pads, and he's also willing to lay out his body to make the tackle.

This next clip is from Oladapo's game against Fresno State in his junior season. It shows his burst to get downhill and pursue a ball carrier, but it also showcases his willingness to be physical at the contact point. Oladapo is lined up about ten yards off the third receiver in the trips formation. When the receiver runs a quick arrow route for the screen pass, Oladapo closes fast and corrals the ball carrier. 

There is no hesitation in Oladapo's approach to make the tackle. There is also a punishing element behind his hits, which sets a great tone on the defense.

On this next play, for example, from the Oregon game, Oladapo lays a big hit on a receiver near the sideline. Initially, he is lined up in the box because it's 4th-and-short. However, once the slot receiver motions wide, Oladapo goes with him. While he does give up the catch, he is at least there to make the stop. 

Oladapo does a great job on this play lowering his shoulder to deliver a punishing blow. It's a hit an offensive player will remember and think about for the rest of the game. Oladapo usually wins the collision with a ball carrier, demonstrating his good functional strength and explosive power.

On this next play from the Washington game, Oladapo makes a tackle in the open field. The running back bursts through the line and sees daylight. However, Oladapo makes a great form tackle to bring him down.

This play demonstrates the kind of hitting power Oladapo possesses. He not only stops the tailback in his tracks, but he also topples him over. Oladapo's consistently good tackling and aggressive play style will bring a physical presence to the Packers' defense.

3) High Motor -- The high effort plays also stand out in Oladapo's film. He plays with a nonstop motor, and his hair-on-fire approach puts him in position to make plays.

Take this next clip, for example. It's from the Washington game, and it's one of Oladapo's most impressive plays. The Husky offense is at midfield, looking to go up two scores with a touchdown drive. They're in a four-wide look, and Oladapo is lined up over the slot to the field side. The Huskies pull the backside guard to kick out the playside defensive end. The tailback bursts through the hole and looks to score as he breaks away from the defense. However, Oladapo doesn't give up on the play and shows tremendous effort to track down the halfback and pop the ball loose from behind.

The turnover was a big play, and it kept the Beavers in the game. Oladapo's willingness to play to the whistle was one of the many reasons he was chosen to be a defensive captain. His motor never stops, making him a great pursuit player.

On this next clip from the Oregon game, Oladapo runs down the slot receiver on a bubble pass.

His ability to click and close on this play is impressive. He's a player who plays full speed all of the time, making him effective in flying around the field to make stops.

Oladapo's motor also makes him a reliable last line of defense. On this play from the UCLA game, the quarterback breaks into the open field after keeping the ball on a read play. Oladapo begins the play lined up on the hash away from the formation. However, he covers ground quickly as he crosses the field to run down the quarterback and push him out of bounds.

These high-effort plays are seen throughout Oladapo's film, making him an easy prospect to like. He's a guy that does not take plays off.

4) Dependable in Coverage -- While both Oladapo and Evan Williams are physical downhill safeties, Oladapo has the edge over Williams when it comes to making plays in coverage. Many will peg Oladapo as a box safety because he plays around 215 pounds. However, he is a very underrated pass defender, and he has plenty of film where he holds up well as a post safety.

In this clip from the UCLA game, Oladapo is lined up as the boundary safety in a two-high safety look. The Beavers are in man coverage, and Oladapo does a great job picking up the tight end on a deep crossing route.

Oladapo sticks on the tight end's back hip through the route progression, staying in position to make a play on the ball. The ball is overthrown, so it didn't matter. However, Oladapo's coverage is tight and demonstrates how well he matches up in man over the middle of the field against tight ends.

For a safety, Oladapo is also above average when guarding slot receivers in man coverage. While he won't be asked to do this a lot at the next level, it is nice to know he can hold his own when guarding the slot.

In this next clip from the Stanford game, the offense is in the red zone, looking to score on third down. Oladapo is guarding the slot receiver one-on-one. He has inside leverage and does a nice job anticipating the slant route. He stays on the receiver's hip as the receiver comes out of his break. This allows Oladapo to deflect the pass.

While I wouldn't go as far to say man coverage is a strength of Oladapo's, he is more than adequate at it, which should give coaches confidence in putting him on the field. One of the great things about Oladapo is that despite looking like a large box safety, he is actually a very dependable deep safety in coverage.

For example, on this play from the Utah game, Oladapo is lined up to the field in a two-high safety look. It's 2nd-and-3, and the offense runs play action and tries to take a deep shot downfield. However, Oladapo doesn't fall for the play fake, and he picks up the slot receiver down the seam. He does a great job blanketing the receiver and keeping step-for-step with his man.

The ball is overthrown, but Oladapo is there to make the stop, if needed. The receiver doesn't gain separation from him, and Oladapo showcases his long speed by being in position to break up the pass.

Oladapo also shows very good ball skills. While he only recorded three interceptions in college, each one was an impressive display of Oladapo going up and snatching the ball out of the air. He also had 24 pass breakups at Oregon State, so he has a knack for making plays on the ball. On this play from the Stanford game, Oladapo identifies the deep corner route, and he does a great job high-pointing the ball to snag it away from the receiver.

When given the opportunity, Oladapo shows good hands to snatch the ball out of the air. He also has several plays where he pops the ball loose from the receiver's grasp. It's this ability and awareness that make him a dependable safety in coverage downfield.

5) Effective Blitzer -- Oladapo can also get after the quarterback as a blitzer. Oregon State used him in a variety of ways in this role. Sometimes they lined him up in the box and blitzed him off the edge. Other times, he lined up deep and then came on a delayed blitz.

This play from the USC game is an example of this. Before the snap, he is lined up deep to the offense's left. However, he anticipates the snap well and creeps downhill just before the ball is hiked. Once the ball is snapped, Oladapo accelerates downhill, sideswipes the tailback, and sacks the quarterback for a big loss.

It's a big third down play from the young safety. His burst and physicality are also on display in this play, making him effective in creating pressure off the edge. However, he is also effective on interior blitzes.

On this play from the Fresno State game, Oladapo is lined up in the box like a linebacker. It's 3rd-and-long, and Oladapo comes screaming through the A-gap to sack the quarterback.

He runs an A-gap twist with the inside linebacker. Oladapo times it perfectly to allow the offensive linemen to busy themselves with the other defenders as he bursts through the line untouched. Oladapo also does a nice job finishing the play. His ability as a blitzer could make him an intriguing player to get on the field on third downs, even if it was as a sub linebacker.

Areas of Improvement for the Next Level

1) Some Stiffness in Change of Direction -- It's hard to say if this is something Oladapo can improve or if it is just who he is going into the NFL, but there is some stiffness with Oladapo's change of direction. For the most part, this doesn't dramatically affect his game, but there are times when it shows up on the field.

For example, on this play from the Oregon game, Oladapo is lined up as the boundary safety. The inside receiver in the trips set runs a quick bubble. Oladapo works his way over the ball carrier and meets the receiver a couple of yards short of the first down. Oladapo has the receiver dead to rights in space. However, the receiver jukes him, and Oladapo can't readjust fast enough to make the tackle.

It is evident in this clip there are some limitations to Oladapo's mobility. He is not the most agile defensive back, so tackling elusive ball carriers in space can be an issue at times. Oladapo is more of a straight-line explosive athlete. It will be interesting to see if the Packers coaching staff feels they can fix this, or if they will just learn to live with some of Oladapo's limitations.

Here is one more example from the Oregon game where this almost gets the best of him. On this play, Oladapo is lined up at the bottom of the screen guarding the outside receiver. The receiver runs a skinny post, and Oladapo is just a little rigid in changing direction once the receiver makes his cut. This causes Oladapo to be just a step behind him, which almost leads to giving up a touchdown.

Fortunately, Oladapo is able to do just enough to disrupt the pass. He lays out and gets a hand on the ball, so while his lack of agility can hinder him slightly, it's still to his credit that he turns this into a positive play by diving for the ball and forcing the incomplete pass.

2)  Improve vs Blocks -- Another area Oladapo could improve is holding his ground against blocks in the run game. Part of this is a functional strength issue, and the other part is a sloppy technique problem. On this play from the UCLA game, Oladapo is lined up to the offense's left, and he comes downhill to fill against the run. However, the tight end meets him three yards beyond the line of scrimmage and completely displaces him from the play.

Oladapo needs to do a better job of setting his feet once he engages with a blocker, which will help him establish a strong base and not lose ground. He also needs to do a better job of not allowing the tight end to get his hands on his chest. His pad level is also way too high, as well, which is why the tight end is able to knock him back on his heels and keep him out of the play.

There is another example of this in the Utah State game. As he comes downhill and engages with the tight end, his pad level is too high. He also doesn't use his hands well to disengage from the blocker.

Oladapo is too focused on making the tackle that he doesn't do enough to first disengage from the block, which keeps him out of the play. Oladapo flies to the ball, but he needs to do a better job of disengaging from blocks if he is expected to play in the box at the next level.

Conclusion

Oladapo is a physically imposing defensive back, who plays with a fervor and intensity that is easy to like. He was also a defensive captain in college and is an overall selfless team-first guy who can fill multiple roles on a team. I expect Oladapo will immediately contribute on special teams as a rookie, and then eventually carve out a role for himself in certain defensive sub packages, whether that is as a big nickel, sub linebacker, or deep safety if Javon Bullard moves to the nickel. Oladapo should compete with Evan Williams and Anthony Johnson Jr. in camp this summer to be the "next man up" in the safety room after starters Xavier McKinney and Bullard. Oladapo is a quality depth piece with some versatility to play multiple spots on defense.