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Hall of Fame S LeRoy Butler shares advice for prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft

Hall of Fame S LeRoy Butler shares advice for prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft

USA Today22-04-2025

Hall of Fame S LeRoy Butler shares advice for prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft
What could be "cheddar" than this! Get your tickets now using the link below⬇️!https://t.co/SpAi0FEBTC — Taste of the NFL (@TasteoftheNFL) April 15, 2025
This week, Touchdown Wire's Ed Easton Jr. spoke to Pro Football Hall of Famer and Green Bay Packers legend LeRoy Butler as he shared advice for the safeties class in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Butler will be a representative alongside other alums for the Packers at the Taste of the Draft on Wednesday, April 23rd, from 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM CT at Schreiber Food Headquarters, 400 N. Washington Street, Green Bay, Wisconsin.
"I think sometimes, safeties get underappreciated; you'll appreciate them. It's the one position on defense where there's nobody behind you. Everybody up there has somebody behind them because the corners are always back there. If somebody gets through them, fine. If somebody gets through us, you'll be on SportsCenter, so it's a very important position," said Butler. "The best thing I can tell any safety is not to let anybody get behind you and be a tackler, not a hitter. A hitter, you play five years if you're a tackler, 12 to 14 (years). Harrison Smith, 'my nephew'. That's not really my nephew, 14 years (in the league); they (Minnesota Vikings) could've said, Nope, go away, nope (instead). Can you come back?"
Butler, a Pro Football Hall of Fame safety, was a four-time first-team All-Pro in his 12 seasons with the Packers. He holds numerous accolades, including being the first defensive back in NFL history to join the 20 Sack and 20 Interception Club.
"If you play safety the right way, just get him on the ground. You don't need to run through him. You're going to break your neck or break his neck. It's going to be injuries. I tell every safety, Don't let anybody get behind. You can always come up, because every time you line up again, that's another opportunity to get a turnover," said Butler. "I'm just excited that I'm able to say that to some of these safeties. Malachi (Moore) is a safety from Alabama. I will interact with him at the Draft and a few more safeties, and that's what I tell him: Be a tackler if you want to play a long time because of the money they're paying for safeties now; you don't want to mess it up by flying in there. These running backs they're going to avoid you. They don't want to get hit. Barry Sanders never let us hit him, but the running backs trying to run people over didn't play very long. So that's the best advice I got for them."

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