There’s a lot of optimism about the Packers cornerback group, but is it warranted? Let’s dive a little deeper into who these guys are and what they can do for this defense.
First off, I don’t think we’re even positive what each of these guys even are.
Is Eric Stokes an ascending young talent or is he headed for a sophomore slump?
Is Rasul Douglas an accomplished vet who finally realized his potential or is he just a flash in the pan one-year wonder?
Is Jaire Alexander a superstar ready to reclaim the title of best cornerback in the NFL or is he a guy who is going to be forever changed after an injury that cost him most of the season?
The biggest question mark has to be Jaire Alexander’s injury. Sure, he played in the playoffs, but it very sparingly, and only in situations where the team though he wouldn’t have to tackle. Sure enough, in crunch time, the 49ers ran right at him and he shied away from a tackle that the Packers needed to hold the 49ers to a longer field goal. He wasn’t ready for contact. We can only hope that another 6 months of rest and rehab gets his shoulder back near 100%.
The NFL is a year to year league and injuries are just one reason why we can never really be sure how much past performance we’ll see in the future.
If all of these guys play to their potential, the Packers would be great… but isn’t that true of every team? Players don’t always play to their potential every year (look at Preston Smith’s consistently inconsistent sack production from year to year for an example).
In cornerbacks, the production most fans look for is interceptions.
Jaire Alexander’s career high in interceptions is only 2.
Rasul Douglas had 5 picks last year, but that looks like an anomaly considering he had 0 picks in his previous two seasons, despite playing 30 games.
Eric Stokes slipped to the end of the 1st round in the draft in large part because of his lack of interceptions (he had only 1 interception in 16 games as a rookie).
So instead of looking at production, let’s look at what each of these players brings to the table.
Alexander is an undersized, feisty, amazingly fast harasser, capable of the most improbably splash plays.
Stokes is a far more boring player – he just uses his speed and athleticism to stick on this hip of his man so QBs don’t even throw his way.
Douglas is the crafty veteran of the bunch – with the lowest timed speed (by far), he relies on positioning, instincts, and film study to be effective.
These guys all had different scouting reports coming out of college, too. When Alexander came out, my report on him was that he’s everything you want in a corner, except size. Douglas was everything you want in a corner, except speed. Stokes was everything you want in a corner, except ball skills.
They are three exceptionally talented cornerbacks that all have different strengths and weaknesses. Alexander and Stokes don’t get a lot of picks and I expect teams to run a lot of film study on Douglas, who took two interceptions back for touchdowns last season, limiting his opportunities at takeaways.
But there’s a lot more to cornerbacks than just interceptions.
I think these guys are gonna be coverage demons.
Alexander and Stokes have the speed to run with anybody in this league. Anybody. Douglas has the ability to be effective in coverage despite his lack of speed. Alexander is undersized, but Douglas is long and tall. Stokes has an average build.
That’s three potentially great corners with three very different builds and styles.
This will allow them to play all kinds of formations. There’s a lot of talk about who will play slot and I think the answer is everybody. If there’s a quick waterbug slot receiver, Alexander can take him. If there’s a big slot receiver, Douglas can take him. If there’s a fast, taller slot, Stokes can take him.
All three have proven they can play on the outside, too. The Packers will have the ability to start in one formation and switch things up in-game seamlessly if they aren’t working. They can even swap around play to play to keep offenses on their toes.
There will inevitably be some bumps along the way, though.
Maybe Jaire will have some lingering effects from his shoulder injury. Maybe Stokes will regress a bit in his second year. Maybe teams will be more cautious about throwing at Douglas. Each of them will probably have a bad game along the way, too. It happens.
But even if these guys don’t play to their full potential, they are still going to be very good. Adding a couple 1st round picks to the front 7 will help the pass rush, too, making them even more effective.
I still don’t think there’s a lot of interceptions coming from this group, but tight coverage, coupled with a good pass rush, will lead to a lot of sacks and throwaways, which are big wins for a defense. I think offenses will have to counter this by going with a short-range passing attack.
The speed of Alexander and Stokes (not to mention Savage and Amos and the linebackers), should be able to keep a short-range passing attack under control.
If things go even remotely according to plan, this versatile cornerback group will smother any type of passing attack and lead the Packers defense into the top 5 rankings tier.
Bruce Irons has played, coached, and studied football for decades. Best-selling author of books such as A Fan’s Guide To Understanding The NFL Draft, A Fan’s Guide To Understanding The NFL Salary Cap, and A Fan’s Guide To NFL Free Agency Hits And Misses, Bruce contributes to CheeseHeadTV and PackersForTheWin.com.
Follow Bruce Irons on Twitter at @BruceIronsNFL.