As a result of the Micah Parsons trade last offseason, the Green Bay Packers are without a first-round draft pick. With that said, Green Bay has a total of eight selections and plenty of opportunities in front of it to make some key upgrades.
One area of focus should be a struggling cornerback room that was tied for the third-fewest interceptions (seven) last season. While the sneaky free agent signing of former Los Angeles Charger Benjamin St-Juste was a huge improvement, it does not sound like the Packers are finished at the position.
According to Matt Schneidman, Packers beat writer for The Athletic, general manager Brian Gutekunst made it clear of his intentions in the upcoming draft, which begins on Thursday. "We are gonna add numbers there."
That is bad news for everyone at the position, but especially for someone like Carrington Valentine. Not only is Valentine entering the final year of his contract, but he was average at best for Green Bay last season and the possibility of his world flipping upside down is certainly possible with so many talented defenders available in the draft.
Carrington Valentine's Green Bay Future Is in Doubt Ahead of NFL Draft
Valentine started 11 games for the Packers last season and appeared in every game. Although he came down with an interception in the wild-card loss to the Chicago Bears, that was his only pick of the season. He had 31 total tackles and four passes defended, in addition to allowing opposing quarterbacks to achieve a passer rating of 121.2 against him.
Between Valentine and Keisean Nixon, the two allowed a combined 14 touchdown receptions last season. Valentine, specifically, gave up a career-worst 472 receiving yards and seven TDs, which were the most on the team. His overall Pro Football Focus grade (65.7) was good for 44th out of 114 qualified CBs, but that alone does not make up for the lack of takeaways and subpar production he brought to a struggling secondary.
It sounds like the Packers are going to make some additions at the position in the draft, but don't rule out the possibility of adding someone like Indianapolis Colts CB Kenny Moore II, who the Colts have no intention of re-signing. Even if that does not happen, there are plenty of viable options in the draft.
Top prospects like LSU's Mansoor Delane, Tennessee's Jermod McCoy, and Colton Hood and South Carolina's Brandon Cisse will most likely be off the board when the No. 52 pick arrives for Green Bay. With that said, San Diego State's Chris Johnson, Indiana's D'Angelo Ponds, Miami's Keionte Scott, Arizona State's Keith Abney II and Arizona's Treydan Stukes are players who could still be available and provide some high upside for the Packers.
This was one of the best defenses when Parsons was healthy, but the secondary was still an issue. The most concerning area about the CB room was its inability to create takeaways with the fifth-worst interception rate (1.3%) in the league.
With a depth chart that currently includes Shemar Bartholomew, Bo Melton and Kamal Hadden, along with Valentine, Nixon and St-Juste, it is obvious how much Green Bay is lacking at the position. None of the backups at CB have proven to be reliable starters, which only makes the draft an even bigger priority if the Packers want to make some gains.
Valentine is already on the hot seat after an underwhelming career up to this point, but if the Packers add a quality corner, it could push him for his starting spot in the short term and could bring his long-term replacement if they hit on the pick.
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