Xavier McKinney already one of Brian Gutekunst's best veteran additions

Five games into his Packers career, safety Xavier McKinney already has a case as one of GM Brian Gutekunst's best veteran additions.

At the snap, Xavier McKinney backpedaled to deep center. The safety had to cover the deepest regions of the field as part of the single-high coverage dialed up by Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. Considering the down and distance -- third-and-10 near midfield -- This represented an aggressive call by NFL standards as it left McKinney as the only man positioned to help anywhere should the Los Angeles Rams attack deep.

But as Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford hit the back of his drop, McKinney saw wideout Tutu Atwell slipping past his defender and cutting toward the pylon. At that point, McKinney raced toward the spot where he knew Stafford would lead his receiver. And despite starting his break between the hash marks at the 25-yard line, he beat Atwell to the mark, picking off Stafford and bringing the ball back to nearly the line of scrimmage.

The pick capped off a historic start for McKinney who became the first player ever to record an interception in each of his first five games with a new team. And McKinney hasn't merely created turnovers. He provided solid run defense when lined up in the box and has barely given up anything when targeted in coverage. Entering Week 6, he has held opposing quarterbacks to two completions on seven attempts for 23 yards as well as a seemingly impossible 1.2 passer rating.

In less than a third of a season, McKinney has established himself as one of the premier players at his position and a game-changer for the Packers. He also received his first award of the year, earning NFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 5. Only time will tell whether McKinney builds on his hot start, but he has certainly put himself in contention for Defensive Player of the Year.

McKinney has also put himself in the conversation for the Packers' best veteran addition under general manager Brian Gutekunst. In his seven seasons running the team, Gutekunst has collected his fair share of vets, both via trade and on the open market. Few GMs have a better track record over that stretch than Gutekunst who deserves considerable praise for the roster he has assembled.

Not every move works out as planned, of course. The Packers signed tight end Jimmy Graham to a three-year, $30 million contract in Gutekunst's first offseason at the helm. The team almost immediately had buyer's remorse as the longtime touchdown maven managed just five scores in two years, half of his total from his final season with the Seattle Seahawks.

Still, when Gutekunst has opened up the wallet for a major veteran addition, he hits far more often than he misses. And on more than a few occasions, those hits have emerged as true field tilters with McKinney becoming the latest example.

While it remains early in McKinney's Green Bay tenure, he already looks like one of Gutekunst's best veteran additions. How high does he rank at this stage? To answer that, one must consider the other veteran additions the Packers have made under their current GM.