The Green Bay Packers selected cornerback Eric Stokes in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Stokes had a strong rookie season in Green Bay and appears to be ready to take the next step in his development as an NFL player.
When the Packers drafted Stokes, they were excited because of his speed and the potential he showed while playing at Georgia. The hope was that before the end of his rookie campaign, he would become a starter at cornerback for the Packers.
In training camp, Stokes went up against two of the best players in the league in quarterback Aaron Rodgers and wide receiver Davante Adams. The two All-Pro players decided to test Stokes on a regular basis in camp, trying to see what the talented young rookie could do.
While Stokes took his lumps in training camp, his attitude remained positive. “Every day, I know for a fact that he’s going to make me better somehow, some way,” Stokes said about facing Adams during training camp. “Just continue not to be scared to go up against him. Like, this is it. You’re the best wide receiver in the league. I’m trying to pick everything that I can from you and learn. You can’t be scared to mess up.”
Adams liked what he saw from Stokes during training camp and compared him to some very successful veterans he’s seen during his Packers career. “He’s the closest thing to Jaire here as far as mentality and ability from what I’ve seen so far,” Adams said in August. “I mean, the kid is fast as hell. He can get beat and recover kind of like how Sam Shields would do.”
When the regular season started, Stokes was a backup behind Jaire Alexander and Kevin King. But when King was banged up and by Week 3, Stokes was thrust into starting duty. He was basically thrown into the pool and told to sink or swim. He proved he could swim very quickly.
By season’s end, Stokes was a reliable starter. He played in 16 games and started 14, playing 92 percent of the team’s defensive snaps. He led the team with 14 passes defensed, made 55 tackles and earned his first career NFL interception against future Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger.
According to pro-football-reference.com, opposing quarterbacks struggled when throwing to receivers covered by Stokes. They completed only 49.5 percent of their passes and had a quarterback rating of just 71.3.
He was named to the NFL’s All-Rookie Team for his strong performance. Stokes’ speed allowed him to catch up to receivers if they beat him early in a pattern.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was impressed with what he saw from Stokes this season. “He is a guy that is just wired the right way,” LaFleur told reporters after a Packers win. “He comes to work with the right attitude, with the right mentality, and I think he’ll continue to get better and better and better the more we progress through this thing. I just love what he’s all about as a person. I think he’s got a really great skill set to complement that and we’re fortunate to have that guy on our football team. Certainly, we were getting thin there in the secondary toward the end of the game. It was cool to see some of those young guys get out there and make some plays.”
Stokes views his rookie season as a learning experience. When asked how he improved over the course of his first season in the league, Stokes replied, “Just the knowledge, just knowing what the offense is going to hit us with and just being more prepared. You know that this going to happen, or this is going to happen. Just being more decisive, into everything I’m doing, and just being confident with it.”
Stokes is ahead of schedule. In a short time, he has already proven himself a reliable NFL cornerback with a lot of potential upside. His speed is elite and he improved at reading plays and pass patterns as the season progressed.
His biggest weakness was his inconsistency when trying to adjust to the ball in the air. At times, he was in the right place but was unable to come down with the ball or break up the pass. That is something that he hopes to improve as he gains experience.
“The biggest lesson is pretty much just live in the moment,” Stokes said. “Because you will have your highs, you will have your lows, and you’ve just got to continue to rock out with it and continue to grow and learn from it.”
Next season, the Packers are hoping to have Alexander healthy and back in the lineup with Stokes starting opposite him at cornerback. That would give the Pack a pair of young, speedy and talented starters at one of the most important positions on the field. If Stokes takes a step forward in year two and Alexander returns to form, the Packers will be set at cornerback for years to come.
You can follow Gil Martin on Twitter @GilPackers