Green Bay Packers 2021 NFL Draft Prospects to Know: CB Eric Stokes

We all know that addressing the cornerback position in this year’s draft is a must for the Green Bay Packers. Not only is it a big need for the 2021 season with a number of question marks at the position, but looking ahead to 2022, Jaire Alexander is the only player that we know will be on the roster at that point.

Fortunately, for the Green Bay Packers, it’s a deep class, and they should have the opportunity to address the need early on. And one of those potential selections is Eric Stokes from Georgia.

Stokes is a two-year starter on the Bulldogs defense with three years of experience. Over his two years as a starter, he was an incredibly consistent player, allowing a completion rate each year of 56.9 percent in 2019 and 57.1 percent in 2020. He also held his opponents to under 9.6 yards per catch each season, and in 2020, he had five separate games where he didn’t allow more than 10 yards, according to PFF ($$)—now that’s impressive.

Stokes finished with nine pass breakups over those two years, but where he really saw improvement was when it came to forcing turnovers. He had no interceptions in 2018 or 2019 but came away with four last season.

Where Stokes can clean up his game is in the penalty department as he has a tendency to get grabby at times and was flagged seven times in two seasons. So he may take his lumps at the NFL level early on in that regard.

Stokes has the ability to play in man or zone coverages, but as Drae Harris of The Draft Network points out, in the NFL, he is best suited for zone—which is what this new Joe Barry defense will often be running.

Standing almost 6’1” and weighing 194 pounds, at his Pro-Day Stokes put up impressive testing numbers, including a 4.25 40-yard dash—and yes, you read that correctly. With 21 of Brian Gutekunst’s 25 RAS (Relative Athletic Score) eligible draft picks scoring 8.0 or higher, Stokes is well within that threshold, posting a remarkable 9.99 out of 10.

Now for a closer look at Stoke’s game, here is more of what Harris had to say in his pre-draft report:

"“From 2019 to 2020, Eric Stokes has certainly improved at being more opportunistic with regards to securing turnovers. He can mirror from a press position, but he can afford to clean up his technique—particularly his eye discipline in man coverage and getting “grabby” at the top of the route. He has shown the ability to play in man or zone from a press and occasional off position, but he does not play to his high-level timed speed with his play. He’s not a dynamic closer at the top of the route and lacks elite short-area, stop-and-start agility. His skill set may be best suited in a predominantly zone situation where he can play with vision and utilize his ball skills to make plays.”"

The Draft Network likes Stokes more than PFF, rating him as their fifth-best corner in this deep class and as the 46th overall prospect. PFF, on the other hand, has Stokes as the 11th ranked cornerback and 73rd rated prospect on their big board.

In terms of where Stokes could be selected, the Mock Draft Database has a second-round projection on him based on all of the mock drafts and big boards they’ve collected this offseason. Although it’s worth pointing out that about 17 percent of the mock drafts have Stokes as a first-round pick.

Stokes took a majority of his snaps at Georgia on the boundary, and while he may not come in and take 100 percent of the CB2 snaps from Kevin King, he would certainly see meaningful snaps right away and be a contributor immediately on this defense.