Packers: Alexander Primed for Year 3 Leap Under Gray

Jaire Alexander has already made a name for himself around the NFL, but under new DB’s coach Jerry Gray, he is primed to take a big step forward in 2020 for the Green Bay Packers.

Since the Green Bay Packers’ 2018 first-round selection, Jaire Alexander entered the NFL, it’s been quite noticeable that he has that “it” factor. Alexander is confident, athletic, he has an excellent skill-set, and he wants the responsibility of matching up against an opponent’s top wide receiver.

Alexander has All-Pro potential, and he’s on the verge of establishing himself as one of the top cornerbacks in football for the foreseeable future.

This past season on 104 targets, Alexander allowed a completion rate of only 57.7 percent, a forced incompletion rate of just 20 percent, which was the second-best among all cornerbacks, and opposing quarterbacks had a passer rating of 92.4.

On top of that, Alexander came away with two interceptions, but according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), he dropped an additional four, and his 14 pass-breakups were once again the second most among NFL cornerbacks.

However, 2019 was only his second NFL season, and Alexander still needs to become more consistent overall. He is still prone to giving up the big play as his aggressiveness can get the best of him at times, and the 14.5 yards per catch that he surrendered ranked as the 16th most among 84 qualified corners.

While Alexander appears to be on the cusp of cementing himself as one of the best in the game, according to a recent article by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, he asked 50 league executives, scouts, coaches, and players to rank the top-10 cornerbacks in the league and Alexander was left off this list. Although he was listed as an honorable mention with one anonymous NFC executive saying this:

"“He is a stud — aggressive mentality, feel in coverage, speed to sustain coverage downfield and attacks the ball. Good eyes and instincts. Sticky.”"

With another year of experience under his belt, that alone should give Alexander another boost in 2020. But perhaps it is the offseason hiring of Jerry Gray as the defensive back’s coach that will really accelerate Alexander’s learning curve and take him to new heights.

Gray had spent the last few years in Minnesota in the same role, and he is known around the NFL as an excellent teacher, and he is very well respected.

Over his career, he has coached many All-Pros and Pro Bowlers, some of which include Blaine Bishop, Samari Rolle, Nate Clements, DeAngelo Hall, Antoine Winfield, Harrison Smith, and Xavier Rhodes. In a Zoom call with reporters about a month ago, Gray mentioned that he sees a lot of Samari Rolle in Alexander’s game:

"“When I look at Jai, he reminds a lot of Samari Rolle, when I had Samari in Tennessee. They aren’t really big guys but they were physical, they have really great cover skills and excellent ability to see. A lot of times, guys don’t have that vision, to see the quarterback and the receiver at the same time. DeAngelo Hall had that. When you got guys who have that type of skill, that’s a big plus.”"

Gray would go on to add that whatever level Alexander wants to get to in his career, he will take him there as long as he puts the work in:

"“I can help him. Like I tell all the young guys, I have the knowledge to get you where you want to go. Now it’s up to you to want to work and get there”"

Where ever Gray has been, his defensive backs have found success, and his track record speaks for itself. So given what Gray brings to the table along with Alexander’s skill-set, there’s no reason to think that this marriage won’t be successful.

Even without Gray, Alexander is on a path that will eventually make him a top cornerback in this league. However, with Gray, his ceiling appears to be a bit higher, and he’s going to get there much quicker.