National Football League

Green Bay Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix has huge upside

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Green Bay Packers safety, is a young player (23) who has already been in the league for two seasons. The Packers threw him into the mix in the 2014 season, where he put up some solid numbers for a rookie.

In the 2015 season, his stats dwindled a bit, but you could still see his potential. He took over #21, most recently known as Charles Woodson’s number. There’s no doubt that he has some big shoes to fill there.

Jan 16, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Green Bay Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (21) against the Arizona Cardinals during the NFC Divisional round playoff game at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Each of the two season, he had a few interceptions between the regular season and the playoffs.

In 2014 he started 10 of the 16 regular season games, while starting all of them in the 2015 season. Green Bay has no intention of swapping him out for someone else.

While 2014 was a better season, last season was a mess for the Packers with the injuries sustained, so it’s safe to say that overall, it was a tough season to get through. There’s nothing to worry about with the slight decline, but there are always things that players can work on. And that’s true for any sport.

Clinton-Dix improved on his number of tackles, which is a great sign. Two of his three interceptions last season came in games that the Packers lost. If Clinton-Dix can continue to improve in those close game situations, it could be a great help. Naturally, with Jordy Nelson back this season, the offense will open up more. This can take a bit of the pressure off on the defense, but the defense should still constantly pressure the other team’s offense.

Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Sam Shields played five fewer games than Clinton-Dix and matched him in interceptions. With the veteran-young guy combination, it would be beneficial for Clinton-Dix to watch some tape of how Shields, as an undersized player, makes those interceptions happen.

Now stats don’t necessarily tell you everything. We don’t get stats on broken up plays by the defense. That would be too much to process. But Shields has been an extremely solid player for the Packers and if Clinton-Dix wants to improve, shadowing Shields could be the best way to do so.

Timing is key on defense, especially when predicting a pass route or intercepting a pass. If Clinton-Dix can work on that, he’ll show improvement this season. He and Shields may not be labeled as the same position, but they have the same task of stopping receivers.