Green Bay Packers: Early returns on rookie corners look tremendous

The Green Bay Packers’ rookie cornerback duo of Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson has looked extremely promising thus far.

I could start by talking about how poor the Green Bay Packers‘ cornerbacks have been during the past several seasons, but we all know the tale of the tape on that front. Besides, the play of two rookie corners this season has made the past a lot easier to forget.

By the end of his first draft as Packers general manager, Brian Gutekunst made it very apparent what his priority was entering the selection process. With the 18th and 45th overall picks, he selected two college standouts at cornerback — Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson — in an attempt to repair what was easily the biggest concern on defense after the 2017 season.

So far, the investment looks to have paid off.

It didn’t take long for either player to get off to a good start. During the preseason, Josh Jackson wasn’t just  the Packers’ best player on defense — he was the No. 1 overall defensive player in the entire NFL, according to Pro Football Focus’s All-Preseason Team. He garnered a grade of 93.4 and was the only rookie cornerback to receive a grade above 90.0 (per PFF on Twitter), the next closest being Minkah Fitzpatrick who had a grade of 82.7.

In fact, Jackson was so good that he held opposing quarterbacks to a 0.0 passer rating when targeted, and only allowed two catches for 14 yards on nine targets over the entire preseason. He also returned an interception for a touchdown, and would have had another if not for a defensive holding call that occurred on the opposite side of the field during the play.

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Jackson’s preseason wasn’t just a flash in the pan though. He’s carried over that same success into the regular season, logging 80 snaps on defense through two games, with his most important work coming from the slot. He’s also played a significant role on special teams, and scored his first (official) touchdown in the NFL from a blocked punt against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, which allowed him to perform his first Lambeau Leap.

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But that’s not all. If Jackson’s success wasn’t enough, there’s more where that came from.

Jaire Alexander also had an impressive preseason, having recorded an interception of his own – and, like Jackson, has had a great start to the regular season. Alexander is currently PFF’s highest-graded rookie cornerback (per rookie rankings) with a grade of 73.7, and is ranked the 25th-best corner in the entire league.

Alexander has also played the second-most snaps (105) on Green Bay’s defense this season, trailing only veteran Tramon Williams. Similarly to Jackson, most of Jaire’s work has come from the slot, and all signs point to both earning more playing time in the future with a recent injury to Kevin King (groin), and the below-average play from Davon House. Slowly but surely, the best players will rise to the top.

That became even more apparent this past weekend when both rookies had their best performance of the season — against a division rival, no less. When Stefon Diggs was covered by either Alexander or Jackson on Sunday, he only amassed three catches for six yards. Diggs ended the day with nine receptions for 128 yards and two scores. The point? Diggs didn’t perform against the rookies.

But it still doesn’t stop there. Although coverage is their specialty, neither rookie is limited in their skill-sets. Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine has shown the willingness to dial up several blitz packages for each player, and has even sent both on rare occasions. Pettine has even used Jackson in a hybrid-linebacker role in a limited capacity, as seen in Week 2’s game against the Vikings.

Clearly, Green Bay may have struck gold during the draft, but it’s still only been two games to judge from. Regardless, there’s plenty of reasons to be excited going forward. King’s recent injury could provide even more opportunity for both Alexander and Jackson, and each should earn more playing time as the season wears on, regardless. It wouldn’t be surprising if either one earns a starting role in due time.