NFL draft should help cure Packers’ cornerbacks ailments
By GERY WOELFEL
The timing couldn’t be better for the Green Bay Packers.
With a gigantic need for cornerbacks, the Packers will have a golden opportunity to secure at least a couple of them in next month’s NFL draft.
According to some NFL officials, this draft is replete with cornerbacks who could instantly help teams like the Packers.
The Packers have lost three cornerbacks this offseason during free agency. Eric Stokes, whose pro career has been hampered by injuries after being selected in the first round of the 2021 draft by the Packers, signed with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Robert Rochell, a backup who played in 11 games last season for Green Bay, signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, and Corey Ballentine, another backup, signed with the Indianapolis Colts.
The Packers’ cornerback corps could take another hit soon. Jaire Alexander, who was also plagued by injuries after the Packers took him in the first round of the 2018 draft, is expected to be traded or released.
While the Packers added free-agent cornerback Nate Hobbs, who played the last four seasons with the Raiders, they clearly have to refill their cornerback cupboard.
The draft figures to help them do that.
At the NFL Combine last month in Indianapolis, I asked Brett Veach, the highly respected general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs, for his take on this draft’s cornerback crop.
I specifically queried Veach about how many cornerbacks could go in the first two rounds, where players are expected to contribute quickly. The Packers have the 23rd overall pick in round one and the 54th overall pick in round two.
“We probably have five or six right now, but as soon as some of these guys we have in the third round run 4.4, or 4.3, then all of a sudden that number goes from six to nine pretty quickly,’’ Veach said.
“So, it’s a good group. That group, and the defensive line group, is really deep.’’
Veach, of course, didn’t divulge the names of those cornerbacks, but here is a list of nine cornerbacks who are virtual locks to be snapped up in the first two rounds.
Travis Hunter, Colorado – Hunter is a generational talent who not only is the best cornerback in the draft but the best receiver as well.
You’d need a microscope to detect any blemishes in his game at either position. There’s no question he is the prototypical cornerback and a clear-cut top five selection.
Will Johnson, Michigan – The former Wolverine has the package: size at 6-2 and 94 pounds, covers like a blanket, instinctive and a playmaker, having picked off nine passes during his collegiate career.
Johnson suffered a foot injury last season, though, and that could ding him from being a top 10 pick.
Jahdae Barron, Texas – He had an exceptional career with the Longhorns with eight INTs and 20 pass breakups. His stock is seemingly rising and could go in the upper-half of the first round.
Barron is also smart and seldom blows an assignment. His Texas teammates, including sure-fire first-round wide receiver Matthew Golden, rave about him as a player and person.
Shavon Revel Jr., East Carolina – He’s now projected as a potential late-first round pick, but that’s only because he’s coming off a season in which he played only three games after tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament.
Revel Jr., who is expected to be close to 100 percent healthy by training camp, has all the tools to be a lock-down CB.
Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky – Few players in this draft class have bolstered their stock more in the run-up to the draft than Hairston.
Hairston enjoyed a banner carer with the Wildcats and recorded six interceptions and 13 pass breakups in his last two seasons.
But Hairston really opened eyes at the Combine when he ran a blistering 4.28 seconds in the 40-yard dash. He is regarded as a legit late, first-round selection.
Trey Amos, Mississippi – Amos is an elite cover guy, arguably as good as anyone in the draft at that aspect of the game.
Amos was generally regarded as a mid-second round prospect after last season, but he impressed scouts at the Senior Bowl and then silenced his skeptics who felt he lacked big-time speed by running a 4.43 40-yard dash at the Combine.
There are some teams at the tail end of the first round who are genuinely intrigued with his potential, one being the Packers who interviewed him at the Senior Bowl and attended his recent Pro Day workout.
Azareye’h Thomas, Florida State – One of the more intriguing prospects in the draft, Thomas could go as high as the middle of the first round or fall into the middle of the second round.
Thomas has the prerequisite physical skills and won over many NFL officials with an impressive showing at the Senior Bowl.
Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame – Morrison was a flat-out lock to be a first-round selection until suffering a hip injury that required surgery and forced him to miss the Irish’s last 10 games.
Morrison, a three-year starter at Notre Dame, didn’t work out at the Combine and plans to hold a private workout prior to the draft, which begins April 24 in Green Bay.
Suffice to say, the workout will go a long way in determining Morrison’s draft status.
Darien Porter, Iowa State – A team that exhibits patience could reap huge dividends in selecting Porter. He is a top-tier athlete with a ton of physical skills. He is also smart.
The raps on Porter are his inexperience, having played just one season at cornerback after playing wide receiver, and he’s 24.
Still, Porter picked off three passes last season as a senior and blocked five kicks during his time at Iowa State.
