Packers: Ranking NFC North cornerbacks ahead of 2021 NFL Season

With the NFL in full-on air attack mode, cornerback has never been more important than it is right now. Often left on an island, corners are asked to stick with elite athletes on the outside and come up in the running game and make solo tackles on physical running backs when necessary.

Thankfully, the Green Bay Packers have one of the elite corners in the game in Jaire Alexander. Alexander has really come on strong quickly in his NFL career and has a bright, bright future ahead of him.

Alexander plays solely on the outside, but there are really two types of corners in today’s game: outside and slot. Although the slot is typically reserved for smaller, shiftier players, both positions are equally important. For this ranking, I put all the positions together into one list. However, due to the lack of options in the NFC North, I only ranked the top three corners in the division.

Let’s see how the Green Bay Packers’ elite cornerback stacks up against the rest of the guys at his position in the NFC North.

3.  Desmond Trufant, Chicago Bears

Demond Trufant enters 2021 playing for his third team in as many seasons. After playing for the Atlanta Falcons in 2019, he suited up for the Detroit Lions in 2020 and will now play for the Chicago Bears this year. Trufant would’ve given the Lions one for the scoreboard but because he switched teams, he leaves them high and dry once again. Trufant had an AWFUL 2020 campaign, but he’s proven to be a worthy corner in the past. When things are clicking, he’s a solid cover corner who can also be relied upon to bring down ball carriers.

2. Patrick Peterson, Minnesota Vikings

Although Patrick Peterson isn’t the player he once was, the Minnesota Vikings hope he can at least continue to hold his own on the wrong side of 30. Peterson isn’t a lockdown corner anymore, but he can stick with receivers and make them work for their receptions. He’ll likely take on the number one target most teams have to offer as the Vikings hope they’ll pass rush will minimize the amount of time he has to spend in coverage.

1. Jaire Alexander, Green Bay Packers

Jaire Alexander is in a league of his own when it comes to top cornerbacks in the NFC North. Nobody can touch him. He’s an ascending talent and one of the very best corners in all of the NFL. Although he doesn’t have gaudy interception numbers, he’s fully capable of taking any wide receiver out of the game and shutting him down. He’ll likely do more shadowing in 2021 and force opposing offenses to look elsewhere for their yards.