By now, it's safe to say that Green Bay Packers rookie cornerback Damarious Randall is ahead of the curve. He's clearly a major contributor on the defense and is playing like a savvy veteran.

That sort of fortitude and football IQ was no more apparent than it was on the game-ending play when he broke up a pass from Philip Rivers intended for Danny Woodhead on the goal line. When he batted the ball away, the Chargers turned the ball over on downs, preserving the 27-20 score.

In today's NFL, first-round draft choices are expected to contribute right away. With free agent cornerbacks Tramon Williams and Davon House departing for other teams, Ted Thompson selected Randall with the 30th pick in the 2015 draft as a potential replacement.

There's always a learning curve for rookies, but the first-rounders are expected to make the transition quicker, which is why they were selected ahead of others. They are premium picks for a reason.

What makes Randall's emergence even more impressive is he played safety in college. His coaches at Arizona State said he was the best cover guy on the team, and would have played cornerback, but they needed him more at safety.

Those cover skills really came through in the clutch when the game was on the line.

And Damarious Randall is nominated for Castrol clutch play https://t.co/vd4YY9hACE

— Packer Report (@PackerReport) October 20, 2015

Let's take a closer look at the play that many are already calling a veteran move.

#Packers rookie Damarious Randall makes veteran play plus the full defensive breakdown from Sunday's game. https://t.co/iRzcgL9PG9

— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) October 19, 2015

According to Demovsky, Randall tried to bait Rivers into throwing his way. That was pretty veteran if you ask me. 

However, there's more to the play than that. We'll look even closer at the play, using Demovsky's text as the backdrop for my visual description.

Starting with the pre-snap alignment, Randall is already communicating assignments with other defenders. How many times over the years have we heard of the dreaded "communication breakdowns" in the defense?

Too many to mention.

The picture below shows Randall (23, to the right end of the formation on the goal line) communicating with the strong safety (Hyde, 33, on the big "B" in the end zone) and outside linebacker (Matthews, 52 between the big "B" and "A" on the goal line) about who to cover if it's a pass. Here, it appears that Randall is calling the shots, or at least is confirming the assignments.

With the game on the line, the obvious choice to receive the ball is Antonio Gates (85) who is split tight to the right side of the formation. Based on the communication, it appears that Randall was directing Matthews to pick him up on the zone and for Hyde to play over the top in bracket coverage.

The picture above shows at the snap of the ball the defense is unfolding as it was called pre-snap. It's a zone defense, so Randall begins his bait job of Rivers by appearing to favor Gates and forgetting about Woodhead (39) coming out of the flat. When Woodhead breaks for the flat, Randall gave him a 4-yard cushion, which is insane for goal line defense.

As soon as Rivers thinks Woodhead was lost in coverage, he begins his throw to the flat. At this point, the baiting was complete. In the picture below, see how Randall is already breaking towards the ball and driving downhill, which is the hallmark of zone defense.

While the ball is in the air, Randall makes his move to seal the game. The picture below shows how Randall arrived at the exact moment the ball arrives and bats it away.

The baiting was certainly a veteran move, but that wasn't where the greatness of the play ended.

An inexperienced player, especially a rookie, may attempt to catch the ball for a heroic interception. If the ball is juggled or deflected, it's possible that Woodhead could snag it out of the air for a dramatic touchdown.

Or, they may try for a mammoth hit on the receiver to de-cleat them in epic fashion and causing them to drop the ball. In a highlight reel world, many players want to make ESPN's Top 10 with big hits. There's no guarantee the receiver would drop the ball or be stopped short of the goal line. Worse yet, there could be a pass interference or personal foul call.

Not Randall. Not with the game on the line. 

He made the right decision to simply bat the ball away. There's no style points for an incomplete pass and turnover on downs.

Get the win and walk away.

Rodgers on Damarious Randall: With the game on the line, he knocked it down...Really proud of him. #SDvsGB

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) October 19, 2015

It's not easy to draw praise from QB1, but Randall did. 

But, he didn't let that go to his head. He certainly enjoyed the moment and appreciated its significance.

#Packers rookie CB Damarious Randall asked if he's made a bigger play in his life: "To win a game like that, in Lambeau, to keep us 6-0? No"

— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) October 19, 2015

Soon after, he showed his eagerness to learn more and improve.

6-0 Back to lab....

— Damarious Randall (@RandallTime) October 19, 2015

I like that hunger. 

The present is good. His future is even brighter.