Closer Look at Green Bay Packers UDFA CB Raleigh Texada

Up next in my Green Bay Packers undrafted rookie preview series is Raleigh Texada, a cornerback from Baylor University.

As part of the preview, I will be taking a closer look at the current state of the Green Bay Packers cornerback position, what you need to know about Texada’s playing career at Baylor, and lastly, we will take a look at what the pre-draft scouting report has to say about his game.

The Current State of the Green Bay Packers Cornerback Position

As far as the starters go, the Green Bay Packers are sitting in terrific shape with Eric Stokes entering his second NFL season, Jaire Alexander returning from a shoulder injury, and Rasul Douglas, who the team was able to re-sign earlier this offseason.

However, the depth of this group is a bit worrisome–and just last season, we all saw how important that depth can be.

In terms of experience after Stokes, Alexander, and Douglas, there is very little. Keisean Nixon leads the way with just under 300 defensive snaps in three NFL seasons. 2021 fifth-round pick Shemar Jean-Charles was on the field for 38 defensive snaps last season, while Kabion Ento, Raleigh Texada, Rico Gafford, and Kiondre Thomas have no regular-season snaps at the position, according to PFF ($$).

In addition to just needing depth, with likely three roster spots on the 53-man up for grabs, the Packers could benefit from some additional help at the slot cornerback position as well–even with Alexander.

While Alexander will certainly line up inside, as Brian Gutekunst told us, he is also going to follow around the opponent’s top receiver. So when that happens, which will be fairly frequently, I imagine, who is going to line up inside?

As I discussed in a recent article, I believe it will be a group effort. Perhaps Stokes moves inside when there is a speed receiver lined up there. Or maybe Douglas will take some snaps as the star when up against a bigger-bodied pass-catcher, such as George Kittle, for example.

However, if someone else can emerge as a reliable option, it could help make this already stout Green Bay secondary even better with the flexibility that Joe Barry will have to mix and match based on who the opponent is. Right now I would guess that Nixon is the front-runner for this role, but of course, there is still more than plenty of time for that to change.

So as you can see, as good as the top end of this roster looks, there are question marks on the back half, which means roster spots and potential playing time is up for grabs.

What to Know About Texada’s College Career at Baylor

Texada is going to be one of the more experienced college players that you will see, appearing in 53 games over his career and totaling 2,187 defensive snaps. He also was on the field for 239 special teams snaps as well, spending most of his time on the field goal block unit and the punt return team.

Over his career, Texada was targeted 176 times and allowed a completion rate of 61.4% and 12.6 yards per catch. He would also tally four interceptions and 20 pass breakups, according to the team site.

Texada spent a majority of his snaps lined up on the boundary, but he was a very sound tackler, with only nine misses out of 143 attempts, according to PFF ($$), and he was also an effective blitzer. Those abilities could lead to him taking more snaps from the slot in the NFL, where getting after the quarterback and helping against the run are two key responsibilities.

Texada stands 5’10” and weighs 191-pounds. He posted a RAS of 8.21 out of 10, which included a 4.40-second 40-time at his Pro-Day. He also tested well in both the vertical and broad jumps.

What the Pre-Draft Scouting Report has to say

Tony Pauline – Pro Football Network

"“Positives: Feisty cornerback who gets the most from his ability,” wrote Pauline. “Effective facing the action, stays with assignments in zone coverage, and diagnoses plays. Tracks the ball in the air, possesses a closing burst of speed, and fires to the action out of his plant. Gives effort defending running plays and screen passes.Negatives: Small. Prefers to side shuffle downfield rather than backpedal. Blocked from the action by receivers.Analysis: Texada is a feisty cornerback who is most effective facing the action. He possesses enough skills to be used as a dime back in zone coverage, though Texada must earn his wage on special teams.”"