The Packers Need A Safety and Micah Hyde Might Be The Guy

After he was drafted, I thought CB Micah Hyde might play safety for the Green Bay Packers. Instead he spent the entire 2013 season playing cornerback, and probably playing a lot more than the team expected because of the injuries to CB Casey Hayward.

Micah Hyde could minimize #Packers need for a safety. Bigger role expected for second year DB. http://t.co/5xsuyLgt9q
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) February 26, 2014

So the fact that Hyde could play safety is not news to me, and the stats back me up. According to Pro Football Focus, while Hyde earned a neutral grade in pass coverage, he was one of the few Packers who earned a positive grade as a run defender. He won't ever be outstanding in pass coverage because he lacks elite speed, but if he can keep learning through film study and experience, that along with his solid tackling could turn him into a very good safety.

The newsworthy portion is that Mike McCarthy said "I mean Micah's to me a multiple position player. I'd like to see Micah compete to play all three downs on defense, so if there's a personnel group that he has to play safety, yeah that's an option." I hadn't heard anyone from the Packers say that Hyde could be a safety before. When Hayward returns next season, and hopefully CB Sam Shields is re-signed, the Packers might have enough depth at cornerback to move Hyde to safety. He was one of their better DBs last season and he deserves a shot at more playing time.