Green Bay Packers: Welcome to Jaire Island

Jaire Alexander has taken another step forward this season as he puts together an All-Pro caliber season for the Green Bay Packers.

We saw Green Bay Packers’ cornerback, Jaire Alexander, make that Year 2 leap that so many successful NFL players make between their rookie and sophomore seasons. Now in Year 3, he’s once again taken another step forward and has been playing as one of the league’s top corners through six weeks.

This has been especially true over the last two games when Alexander has been primarily matched up with Calvin Ridley of the Atlanta Falcons and Mike Evans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Prior to Green Bay’s matchup with Atlanta, Ridley had the second-most receiving yards in the NFL and was the only receiver with at least 100 receiving yards in every game. However, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, Alexander shadowed Ridley on 23 of his 27 routes and didn’t allow a single catch on five targets.

Then just this past week in Tampa, one of the few bright spots was Alexander’s play on Evans. Evans entered that game tied for the league lead in touchdown receptions and had two games with over 120 receiving yards. Alexander would end up covering Evans on 19 of his 24 routes and was targeted just one time without allowing a reception.

Now, sure, especially with Kevin King out, Tom Brady probably wasn’t looking Alexander’s way a whole lot, but that in itself still says a lot about his play. And it’s not like Evans is just some receiver; he’s one of the best in the NFL.

While those performances are certainly impressive, according to Aaron Rodgers, what makes Alexander such a special player is the intangibles that he possesses. Alexander isn’t afraid of those big moments against the opponent’s top receiver, and of course, the confidence that he has in himself (via Packers Wire):

"“I think he’s a great player, I really do, I think he’s got a great disposition,” Rodgers said. “(He’s) not afraid of going up against number one receivers, which can’t be said really about every corner we’ve had around here in the past. I’m not talking about Al (Harris) or Wood (Charles Woodson), but there’s no fear in Ja.”“I think one of the beautiful things about him as a competitor is, he doesn’t have that crippling fear of failure,” Rodgers continued. “He just believes that going out and competing and putting his best ball on the field is true success. I think that is a trait of every great competitor.”"

For the season, Alexander has recorded 18 tackles, nine stops – which are plays that constitute a loss for the offense – and a sack. In coverage, he’s allowing a completion percentage of just 60.9 percent on 23 targets with an average reception of only 8.7 yards, while quarterbacks have a passer rating of 71.9. And if Pro Football Focus ($) grades are your kind of thing, Alexander is the highest-graded cornerback in the NFL this season.

It wasn’t too long ago that the cornerback position here in Green Bay was quite a mess; we all remember that 2016 NFC Championship Game in Atlanta. But now the Green Bay Packers have their shutdown corner in Jaire Alexander, who is putting together an All-Pro caliber campaign this season.