Numbers Showcase Just How Good Packers Eric Stokes was as a Rookie

Like several drafts before, 2021 was another year where many thought — or maybe “hoped” is the better word — that the Green Bay Packers would address the receiver position in the first round. But instead, the Packers selected cornerback Eric Stokes from Georgia at pick 29.

As good as the Packers cornerback room looks right now, just over a year ago, one of the most important positions in the game was facing a lot of unknowns for Green Bay. Outside of Jaire Alexander, depth was a major question mark, with the team re-signing Kevin King in free agency and there being a lot of inexperience on the roster behind him and Alexander.

However, Stokes, along with eventually Rasul Douglas, provided some much-needed stability to the position–and based on his performance as a rookie, the Packers didn’t just find another solid starter in Stokes, but a potential star in the making with the numbers backing it up.

At least from a snap count perspective, like many rookies before him on the Packers, Stokes didn’t begin the season as one of the starters–those roles belonged to Alexander and King, as Stokes would see only eight snaps in Week 1. But he would quickly see his playing time increase as he became a mainstay within the secondary.

Numbers from PFF showcase just how good Eric Stokes was for the Packers as a rookie

Opposing quarterbacks would frequently try to test the rookie, targeting him 100 times over the course of the season, but Stokes held up incredibly well. Of those targets, Stokes allowed only 51 completions at 11.9 yards per catch with an interception, nine pass breakups, and a passer rating of 79.1, according to PFF ($$).

To dive even deeper into the numbers, Stokes had the lowest percentage of open targets allowed in 2021, at 24% among all cornerbacks. His 13 forced incompletions and interceptions were tied for the most among rookie cornerbacks with Patrick Surtain, and he also had the second-lowest passer rating among the rookie class as well.

Let’s continue, shall we?

In 669 coverage snaps, Stokes was called for only three penalties. Out of 72 eligible cornerbacks, he ranked fourth in completion rate given up, 10th in forced incompletions, 15th in pass breakups, and 18th in snaps per reception allowed.

The hope is that every early-round pick can come in and make an impact right away, but just how good Stokes was last season is more of an outlier than what is considered the norm in the NFL. The truth is that most rookies struggle, and while Stokes had his moments like any young player does, by and large, that just wasn’t the case–he often excelled.

As we look ahead to the 2022 season, realistically, Stokes still should continue to improve. Oftentimes the biggest jump that a player can make is going from their rookie season to Year 2; when things begin to slow down, they adjust to the NFL game, and the player becomes more comfortable within the offensive or defensive scheme.

One area in particular that can help take Stokes’ game to the next level is his playmaking ability. As heavily as he was targeted and as often as he was around the ball, he came away with only one interception last season.

"“Just starting to look for the ball more,” Stokes said last month via Packers News ($$). “I’ve got to get comfortable with that. I’m not making no excuses or anything, but just growing up all I knew was face guard, face guard. Just play (the receiver’s) hands. Like, hey bro, throughout everything just play hands.“So now just retraining myself to just look for the ball. I know you’re in position, look for the ball. Do all this little stuff and get out of your head.”"

If a few of those pass breakups can become interceptions in 2022 for Stokes, well, watch out–especially with Rasul Douglas back on a new deal and Jaire Alexander fully healthy.

Even before taking a closer look at these numbers from Pro Football Focus, we all knew that Stokes had an impressive rookie season. However, these figures truly showcase just how good he was, not only among rookies but out of all the cornerbacks in the NFL–and as we just discussed, he is likely to only get better.