Green Bay Packers training camp sleepers: CB Bernard Blake

By Keegan Matheson | Jul 8, 2015

The Green Bay Packers’ training camp is finally beginning to creep over the horizon, bringing a merciful end to the only true downtime on the NFL calendar. Few roster battles exist for starting roles on this Green Bay Packers roster that will be returning many 2014 starters, but the cornerback position is one that could see a great deal of change. Undrafted Colorado State alumni Bernard Blake will be given a chance to compete through camp, and could quickly emerge as real competition for Ladarius Gunter or Demetri Goodson.

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With the departures of Tramon Williams and Davon House via free agency to Cleveland and Jacksonville, Sam Shields and Casey Hayward now seem poised to carry on as the starting duo. First and second round picks in the 2015 NFL Draft were used to select high-upside prospects in Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins, but behind that top four, nothing is guaranteed.

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Gunter, who I profiled here several weeks ago, earned rave reviews out of minicamp after seeing his fourth-to-fifth round value torpedoed by an ugly 40-yard dash that pushed him into undrafted free agency. An opportunity exists where both Gunter and Blake crack this roster as it could conceivably support six corners, and this will become especially possible if the wildly unpredictable Demetri Goodson falls flat.

At 6’0″ and 185 pounds, Blake holds his own well in both man and zone coverage while he seems to keep the game moving slowly in front of him. I certainly prefer his abilities in off-coverage as opposed to press coverage, but in space against a non-elite receiver, he does have legitimate mirroring skills against nearly all routes.

Blake does pull the trigger on aggressive breaks, as well, and showed me an acceptable level of ball-tracking ability. None of these talents leap off the page to grab the collar of your shirt, but the floor of his potential talent has an opportunity to surpass someone with a more volatile skill set, such as Goodson or the other undrafted players in camp.

Where Blake will become exposed is when he is forced to be physical. He certainly doesn’t shy away from the contact, but he can become overmatched in tackles or while covering physical receivers as he appears to be skinnier than his measurements suggest. What a nice problem that must be, right?

Dec 21, 2013; Albuquerque, NM, USA; Washington State Cougars wide receiver Gabe Marks (9) scores a touchdown under pressure from Colorado State Rams defensive back Bernard Blake in the first quarter during the Gildan New Mexico Bowl at University Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

This could limit Blake in press coverage on the outside against top receivers, although there’s a microscopic chance that he’d be asked to do that for Green Bay even if he does sneak onto the 53-man roster. It would also plague him in the slot as tight ends or ball carriers out of the backfield would still provide strength mismatches.

In an offseason that hasn’t been kind off the field with incidents involving Letroy Guion, Datone Jones and Andrew Quarless, Blake enters the NFL as one of the highest-quality character prospects from the 2015 class. Eric Adelson of Yahoo Sports details the off-field impact that Blake had within the community, frequently visiting local elementary skills where he did everything from eat lunch with the students to prepare writing and math assignments.

Over at The Coloradoan, Matt L. Stephens admits that Blake caused him to make one exception to the unwritten rule that he is not supposed to root for outcomes or individuals in the sports he covers.

“I’ve never met an athlete who’s genuinely cared more about everyone around him than his own well being. He constantly goes out of his way to make your life better, willing to drop everything to do a favor. No strings attached.” Stephens added that the opportunity in Green Bay “couldn’t have been granted to a better human being.” On July 30th, Blake will take his first uphill step of training camp.

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