Green Bay Packers: 5 Best players at halfway point of 2020 season
By Joe Kipp
3. Jaire Alexander, CB
The Packers drafted cornerback Jaire Alexander in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. After two promising, but still inconsistent seasons, Alexander appears to have finally found his footing in Green Bay. In fact, Alexander has been so good that it might be fair to say he’s been the best cornerback in the NFL in 2020.
When looking at the stats, it might be easy to think Alexander hasn’t had much of an impact for Green Bay’s defense. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Through no fault of his own, Alexander only has one interception in eight games played. That’s because opposing quarterbacks aren’t throwing the ball his way.
Entering Week 9, Alexander was the No. 1 overall cornerback in the NFL with a grade of 90.0, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Alexander is also in the top 10 highest-graded defenders, regardless of position. He’s unquestionably been the Packers’ best player on defense so far this year.
Halfway through the season, Alexander is emerging into the player the Packers hoped he would be when they drafted him in the first round. He has the capability to erase a No. 1 receiver. He’s been one of the NFL’s premier shutdown corners in 2020.