Green Bay Packers: Don’t Rule Out an Early Round CB Selection

While it may not seem like an immediate need, the Green Bay Packers are lacking depth at cornerback. So at this point, don’t rule out an early-round selection.

Initially, drafting a cornerback on Day 1 or 2 of the draft may seem unnecessary, but I promise you that it actually makes a lot of sense.

When we think of the needs that the Green Bay Packers have to address this offseason, of course, wide receiver and inside linebacker are the first that come to mind for many. But they also have to find a tackle with the uncertainty surrounding Bryan Bulaga’s future in Green Bay.

And on top of that, some other positions that may come to mind include interior defensive lineman to get Kenny Clark some help and even tight end with Jace Sternberger and likely Robert Tonyan as the only tight ends on the roster for 2020.

However, with all of that said, cornerback should absolutely be on this list as well.

The Green Bay Packers have a solid core with Jaire Alexander who could become a future All-Pro caliber player, along with Kevin King who was able to stay healthy and put together a breakout season in 2019. We also saw the emergence of Chandon Sullivan as the season progressed.

But King is in the final year of his rookie deal and after these three players, there are a lot of question marks within this cornerback room.

For one, Tramon Williams who was the Packers slot corner in 2019 is a free agent, Josh Jackson barely saw any playing time, and while Ka’dar Hollman flashed in the preseason, he is still an unknown. And if you’re wondering about Tony Brown, well, he was cut towards the end of the season.

So as you can see, adding another cornerback, or even two, to this Packers team certainly isn’t a bad idea. And given their tighter cap situation this offseason, free agency may not be a viable route given the other needs that they have to address. This leaves the draft as the likely best option.

Drafting cornerbacks is nothing new to the Green Bay Packers. In fact, they’ve done it quite a bit in recent years. According to Pro Football Reference, since 2015 the Packers have drafted five cornerbacks during that span and four of the five have either been a first or second-round draft pick.

Sure, when Green Bay made a few of these past selections they didn’t have a Jaire Alexander caliber player holding down the CB1 position, but as we’ve seen over the years, you can never have too much depth at this position. And right now, beyond Alexander, King, and Sullivan, the Packers don’t have someone who can be trusted to play significant snaps.

With the NFL Combine currently taking place, Ross Uglem of Packer Report has reported that Green Bay has already had a number of meetings with this cornerback class, including A.J. Terrell of Clemson, Lavert Hill of Michigan, and LSU’s Kristian Fulton.

Now having said all of that, I’m not saying or predicting that the Green Bay Packers are going to spend a top-3 pick on the position. I mean at this point, who knows? However, there is a definite need and Green Bay has a history of spending a Day 1 or Day 2 draft pick on a cornerback, so don’t rule it out by any means.