3 Cornerback Prospects Green Bay Packers Should Target Early in Draft
Cornerback, a position of strength for the Green Bay Packers in 2014, is quickly becoming a weakness this offseason.
The Packers had three cornerbacks set to become free agents on Tuesday: Tramon Williams, Davon House and Jarrett Bush.
House wanted to start in 2015. He wanted to be paid like it, too. The Packers made him an offer, but he ultimately signed a four-year deal worth $25 million with the Jacksonville Jaguars Tuesday, ESPN's Adam Caplan reported.
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Williams has rejected the Packers' offer of $8 million over two years, per Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He visited with the New Orleans Saints Tuesday night, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
And all has been quiet on the Bush front, though it's unlikely the Packers would re-sign him with the intent of taking over snaps from House or Williams. He'd be a special teams contributor and a rotational player in certain subpackages.
If they lose all three, the Packers will still have Sam Shields starting on the outside—but who will play opposite him? Will it be Casey Hayward? No doubt he's a playmaker, with three interceptions and seven passes defended in 2014, but he is also 5'11 and 192 pounds and played 225 of his 470 snaps in the slot last season, per Pro Football Focus.
| Tramon Williams | 1,032 | 95 | 18 |
| Sam Shields | 834 | 16 | 16 |
| Casey Hayward | 470 | 225 | 1 |
| Davon House | 411 | 10 | 4 |
| Micah Hyde (CB/S) | 317 | 242 | 13 |
| Jarrett Bush | 42 | 12 | 0 |
If Shields and Hayward were the two starters in 2015, both Green Bay's starting outside corners would be 5'11", which isn't ideal when matching up twice a year against opponents like Calvin Johnson (6'5"), Cordarrelle Patterson (6'2") and Alshon Jeffery (6'3").
It's no wonder the free-agent cornerbacks—Darrelle Revis, Byron Maxwell, House, Buster Skrine, Brice McCain, Walter Thurmond and the as-yet unsigned Williams, Brandon Browner and Chris Culliver—have attracted so much attention from teams.
Good cornerbacks are hard to find, and developing them isn't easy, either. This year's 2015 cornerback rookie class, while talented at the top, does not have a plethora of Day-1 starters, and teams are scrambling to find their starters now.
The Packers could still re-sign Williams, and perhaps they'll kick the tires on a veteran free agent like Culliver.
But if Green Bay wants to find a starting outside corner in the draft, they'll have to look early before the talent drops off significantly. Let's break down three prospects they should target.
Marcus Peters, University of Washington
On talent alone, Marcus Peters should be an early-first round pick. But if his past character concerns cause him to drop to No. 30, Ted Thompson should take a chance on him. He's simply too good to pass up.
Wood was dismissed from the University of Washington in November for what he called “miscommunication” with coach Chris Petersen, per Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. An NFL.com report quoted an anonymous scout who said Peters got into a physical altercation with an assistant coach, though members of Washington's coaching staff denied that ever happened.
“That obviously never, never happened,” UW defensive backs coach Jimmy Lake told Adam Jude of The Seattle Times in December.
Peters spoke out at the combine and once again dismissed the veracity of the claim, per Wood.
Peters confirmed he had a formal interview with the Packers at the combine, according to Wood. His talent on the field speaks for itself, but it's whether the Packers think he's mature enough to handle a starting job at the pro level that the interview helps determine.
Peters currently has a late-first round/early-second round projection on CBSSports.com, but teams who can look beyond his past could reach for him prior to Green Bay's pick at No. 30.
He ran a 4.53-second 40-yard dash at the combine and had a vertical jump of 37.5 inches. He is one of the best outside corners in this class. The 6'0", 197-pound prospect had five interceptions in 2013, leading the Huskies. He had three more prior to his dismissal in 2014.
Peters "competes hard out of press-man coverage and tries to intimidate receivers with his physicality," writes Lance Zierlein of NFL.com. He "can redirect talented receivers with his length and flat-out stuff receivers with marginal foot quickness and strength."
One of the few cornerbacks talented enough to be considered in Round 1, the Packers must give Peters serious consideration if he's available at their selection.
P.J. Williams, Florida State
Florida State's P.J. Williams is an ideally sized cover corner suited for the outside, which is exactly what the Packers are looking for.
At 6'0" and 194 pounds, Williams has the size to cover today's NFL receiver. Add to that his ability to come away with contested balls—he was a top performer in the vertical jump at the combine, measuring 40.0 inches—and he looks even better.
"Revis Island" had too high a price tag for Green Bay this offseason, but "Williams Island" is much more affordable. What's key is that he "has potential to come in and start right away for an aggressive man-cover defense," in the opinion of NFL.com's Lance Zierlein.
"Williams can come up and support the run and has the man-to-man cover ability to be left on an island down the road," Zierlein wrote.
While the Packers could try Hayward on the outside while giving a 2015 prospect time to develop, drafting someone with the talent to start immediately would be a boon to this secondary.
Though Williams is incredibly talented, he could also be the perfect value pick for Green Bay at No. 30. If Michigan State's Trae Waynes, Wake Forest's Kevin Johnson and Peters come off the board earlier in Round 1, Williams could still be available for the Packers.
In fact, Lance Zierlein mocked Williams to the Packers at No. 30 overall in his first mock draft of the season.
Williams was the defensive MVP of the 2014 BCS National Championship Game, with seven tackles and an interception on a defense loaded with talent.
Jalen Collins, LSU
If the Packers choose to address another position in Round 1—or even trade out into the early-to-mid second—LSU's Jalen Collins could be the perfect fit in Round 2.
Collins, at 6'1" and 203 pounds, has the best size of any cornerback projected to be taken in Rounds 1-2.
Because LSU was so heavy on talented defensive backs, Collins only had 10 starts at the college level. It may mean he's not an opening day starter for Green Bay, but on the flip side, his full potential may not even be evident on his tape.
Collins had seven starts in 2014 and had 38 total tackles, three tackles for loss, nine passes defended and one interception.
His physical gifts and athleticism are well-suited to playing on the outside. He "excels at turning his hips and mirroring receivers down the field on deep routes as well as with jump balls due to his ability to time his jump and high point the ball," writes Brandon Thorn of CBSSports.com.
"Stays in-phase with all types of receivers both big and small down the field."
Where Collins could be a surprising boost to Green Bay's defense is in the intermediate passing game, as well as a reliable defender when running backs escape into the second level of the defense. "Will make plays outside of his area and has speed to come across field to chase down a loose running back or receiver," Zierlein wrote.
An NFC director of personnel thinks Collins "has the traits and ability to become a high-end starter and maybe the best cornerback from this draft," via Zierlein.
If Green Bay could walk away with one of the best corners in this class in Round 2, that would be an immense boost to its defense in 2015.
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