On paper, cornerback is far from a must-address position for the Green Bay Packers. However, general manager Brian Gutekunst could be tempted in the early rounds of the draft by what is a deep cornerback class that tested very well at the NFL Scouting Combine.
On Daniel Jeremiah’s latest big board, he had seven cornerbacks in his top 50, the most behind only the edge rusher position. Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire also had seven cornerbacks in his top 50.
At the combine, this cornerback group as a whole had a very impressive showing. Out of 25 cornerbacks who posted a Relative Athletic Score (RAS), 17 scored above an 8.0, including 12 recording at least 9.0. Deonte Banks and Christian Gonzalez had near-perfect scores of 9.99 and 9.96, respectively. This is significant to the Packers because since Gutekunst has taken over as GM, 30 of his 42 draft picks have scored 8.0 or higher on the RAS scale. At cornerback, specifically, four of his five cornerback selections have scored above 9.22.
When it comes to specific combine drills that the Packers take note of at the cornerback position, there really isn’t a strong connection, wrote Daire Carragher of Packer Report. Each of those four cornerbacks to post a RAS above 9.22 posted elite numbers across the board, except each had one combine test where they scored just okay, and what events those were varied by each prospect.
With Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas and Eric Stokes, the need at cornerback is far from massive. But at some point this offseason, the depth will have to be added to with Benjie Franklin, Kiondre Thomas, Tyrell Ford, and Shemar Jean-Charles, all of whom have relatively no NFL experience on defense, the only current options on the roster behind Alexander, Douglas, and Stokes.
The need at the cornerback position is also heightened if the Packers do decide to move Douglas to safety. This is something that Gutekunst mentioned last week with reporters and seems like a more realistic option, given that the draft class as a whole at the safety position is considered a bit thin and also underwhelmed at the combine.
It’s also not as if Gutekunst has shied away from selecting positions early on in the draft that may not be considered a top need. Recent examples include picking Rashan Gary after signing the Smiths in free agency or taking Jordan Love and then AJ Dillon while Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones, and Jamaal Williams were on the roster. Or even taking linebacker Quay Walker in Round 1 after signing De’Vondre Campbell–a position that for a number of years Green Bay didn’t put much draft or free agency capital into.
Ultimately, the cornerback position checks a lot of boxes for the Packers. Although not to the same extent as others, it can be justified as a position that should be added to. It’s also a premier position that the Packers are willing to invest in, and when on the clock in the early rounds, Gutekunst is likely going to have several options available, many of which tested very well.
