Green Bay Packers:
The Green Bay Packers have made strides to improve the team all off-season. including the acquisition of superstars Josh Jacobs and Xavier Mckinney. The NFL roster is never perfect though, with the 2024 NFL draft around the corner, the Green Bay Packers are likely to sure up some weak spots in their depth.
The cornerback position is a questionable spot in the Green Bay Packers depth. They were middle of the pack in yards allowed, touchdowns allowed, top 10 in passer rating allowed, and second to last in interceptions. Despite having superstar Jaire Alexander and rising star Carrington Valentine, the depth of the cornerback room is questionable.
2021 first-round pick Eric Stokes has shown upside, but can not manage to stay healthy. Newly re-signed Keisan Nixon has proven to be serviceable, but not reliable, out of the slot. With 11 picks in the 2024 draft, the Green Bay Packers have plenty of capital to acquire one or more corners in the NFL Draft.
Iowa Hawkeyes’ Cooper Dejean
Iowa’s top athlete Cooper Dejean is the Green Bay Packers’ most mock-drafted pick at #25. Dejean stands at a prototypical 6’1 205 pounds, his form transfers into an unmatched speed and power that makes him one of the best athletes on any field.
He has put top-tier ball instincts/production on tape to go along with scary closing speed. However, it is a question if he can survive consistent snaps as an outside corner in man coverage against elite NFL talent (mainly in press,) because of his shorter arms and comfortability with eyes on the quarterback.
Dejean is also an invaluable asset to special teams and could be a first-year gunner and return man for any team in the NFL. Experienced in multiple levels of defense, the Packers could use Dejean as a “plug and play” option wherever they need him to be throughout his first year.
Rutgers’ Max Melton
Max Melton is a 5’11 187 cornerback out of the University of Rutgers and brother to Green Bay Packers wide receiver Bo Melton. Outside of having family ties with the Packers, he also fits the description of a Green Bay Packers draft pick with an impressive 9.65 relative athletic score. With a blistering 4.39 40 time and north of 40 inch vertical, Melton set himself apart at the NFL combine.
Max Melton is not only an impressive athlete but an impressive football player. He can play inside or outside due to his versatile size and top-tier athleticism. Comfortable in both man coverage and zone coverage. Melton also has a knack for finding the football with an ability to break on it at a moment’s notice.
That ball production could be of major help to a Packers secondary that lacked in that area. He is not the best in run defense often taking questionable angles, though his tenacity and commitment in pursuing ball carriers shows he can be coached to be a factor in that area.
“If I come to Green Bay, I know it’ll be iron sharpens iron all over again,” Max told Packer Central before he arrived in Indianapolis for the Scouting Combine.
Missouri’s Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
Ennis Rakestraw jr out of the University of Missouri is a very savvy wide receiver stopper. Rakestraw may not have the off-the-charts athleticism of a Max Melton or Cooper Dejean, but he makes up for it in technique.
Ennis Rakestraw may be the best press-man coverage player in the draft, a technique that the Green Bay Packers’ new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley is fond of. His ability to stay inside of the receiver’s hips on the press and disrupt timing is impeccable. He has a knack for timing slap-aways at the point of catch that pairs well with his elite body control and ability to stay in phase.
There are questions on whether he can stay healthy, missing time in college in 2021 due to a torn ACL and a handful of games in 2023 due to a groin injury. He can also be considered pretty aggressive with his hands which may be flagged more often in the NFL than in college.
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