Green Bay Packers: 3 Implications From the NFC Title Game

3. Help in the secondary

It was very clear what Tampa Bay’s strategy was in the passing game. Isolate pretty much anyone not named Jaire Alexander and take advantage of their lackluster coverage. Kevin King fell victim to this several times throughout the game, but so did slot corner Chandon Sullivan.

Sullivan is not a bad player, but similar to King and Pettine, he may not be the guy to help the Pack get over the hump. He has shown flashes of glory and displayed stupendous coverage, but those instances are too few and far between. The former Georgia Southern standout is a restricted free agent, so he will likely be back on a cheap extension and will need to improve.

Regardless of what happens with Sullivan, King will likely be gone, leaving a hole in the Packers’ secondary. Green Bay will need immediate help in their secondary, and there is no better place to find the solution than in the NFL Draft.

I know the Green Bay Packers’ selections last season neglected to address any positions of immediate need, but this year will likely be different following the departure of numerous key players in the lineup.

With the 29th overall pick, Green Bay should target one of the draft’s best corners, Caleb Farley, out of Virginia Tech. Farley is currently somewhat of a mystery as he opted out of this past season due to the pandemic. However, I feel this plays into the hand of the Packers. In a normal year, Farley would have likely displayed his talents and ability and been locked in as a top 15 pick. With the unknown of this past season, Farley is a perfect candidate to fall right to Green Bay at pick 29.

With Jaire Alexander on the other side of the field, the 6’2″ Farley would largely be tasked with shutting down the opposition’s second best wide receiver. If all goes right, he could be the perfect sidekick along with Alexander.

In a universe where Farley is not available, this leaves Green Bay with the opportunity to target Asante Samuel Jr. out of Florida State. He could be the perfect fit for Green Bay in the second or third round of this year’s draft. The son of 11 year NFL Vet Asante Samuel, he has the tools and physical makeup to become the steal of the draft and develop into a star nickel-back corner in the modern NFL.

To wrap things up, the Green Bay Packers’ season was filled with many successes, but ultimately too many mistakes and mental breakdowns caused the team to end their season on a devastating loss.

Following their second consecutive NFC Championship game loss, changes will be made in an effort to finally get over the hump and win another Super Bowl. A lot will happen this offseason, and the Packers will have to make the right personnel decisions in order to capture Super Bowl 56.