Who Will Win Green Bay Packers' Starting Outside Corner Battle?

Veteran Green Bay Packers cornerback Casey Hayward is a lock to win the starting outside spot opposite Sam Shields in 2015...or is he?

This offseason, Hayward will presumably compete with 2014 sixth-round pick Demetri Goodson, 2015 first- and second-round rookies Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins and 2015 undrafted rookie LaDarius Gunter for the position—unless coaches designate one or more of those players as candidates for the inside only ahead of final cuts.

Player	Exp.	Height	Weight	40-Yard Dash	Vertical Jump
Demetri Goodson	2 years	5'11"	197 lbs	4.52 sec	37 inches
Casey Hayward	4 years	5'11"	192 lbs	4.57 sec	34 inches
Damarious Randall	R	5'11"	196 lbs	4.46 sec	38 inches
Quinten Rollins	R	5'11"	195 lbs	4.57 sec	36.5 inches

Player	Exp.	Height	Weight	40-Yard Dash	Vertical Jump
Bernard Blake	R	5'11"	178 lbs	4.52 sec	31.5 inches
Tay Glover-Wright	1 year	6'0"	175 lbs	4.36 sec	35 inches
LaDarius Gunter	R	6'2"	201 lbs	4.69 sec	33.5 inches

Hayward has been a key contributor in the slot but has said repeatedly that he's ready to start, and he has the most in-game experience. He started seven games in 2012 while Shields was out injured and led all rookies in interceptions with six.

"Casey has played better than most people realize, and he deserves more reps than he has played," cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt Jr. said at the end of the 2014 season, per ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky. Whether Whitt meant more reps on the outside, we'll find out in training camp. 

Goodson seems to be a long shot to beat out Hayward for the starting nod. The second-year player didn't get any snaps on defense in 2014, per Pro Football Focus, instead playing solely on special teams. 

The 5'11", 197-pound corner doesn't offer much more in the way of size than Hayward does, but he uses his size well. Like 2015 rookie Rollins, Goodson was a basketball-player-turned-cornerback in college at Baylor, where he had 43 tackles, 19 pass breakups and four interceptions in 19 career games. His basketball-playing past is evident in his 37-inch vertical jump.

Cornerback was neither Randall's nor Rollins' primary position in college; in fact, Hayward is the only player in this group to have played four years at the position in college. However, Rollins showed off his skills at the rookie minicamp with an interception on quarterback Brett Hundley.

Rollins' ball skills have never been in question in his short time playing cornerback, but now he must perfect his technique. As a first-year cornerback (and starter) last season, Rollins had 72 tackles, four tackles for loss, 16 passes defended and a conference-best seven interceptions, which was good for the third most in the nation.

At the pro level, and especially in defensive coordinator Dom Capers' scheme, he'll need to work on discipline, possibly giving up on lunging for the big play in order to stick to his assignment.

Randall was dealing with a minor ankle injury at the rookie minicamp, as Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. OTAs will give him an opportunity to demonstrate what he can bring to the table at the position.

Randall entered the draft listed as a free safety, though he is undersized for an NFL safety at 5'11" and 196 pounds. He'll play at cornerback for the Packers, and if he can't beat out Hayward for the starting job, he'll earn snaps in the nickel and dime sub-packages.

He started all 13 games at safety for the Arizona State Sun Devils in 2014, leading the team with 106 total tackles, 12 passes defended and three interceptions and earning first-team All-Pac-12 honors.

The rookie has the ball skills and speed (with a 4.46-second 40-yard dash) to play corner and even compete with Hayward, but like Rollins, he needs to work on his technique as he transitions from safety, including his tackling technique.

Gunter, as an undrafted free agent, may not even make the final 53-man roster, let alone beat out the veteran Hayward for a starting job. But there's something special about this rookie that will catch his coaches' attention.

The undrafted free agent played three seasons at the University of Miami, starting 30 games and playing in 37. In that span, he racked up 111 tackles, three tackles for loss, a forced fumble, 18 pass breakups and six interceptions.

He also brings the kind of size to the table that the Packers have been missing in the secondary. Though size isn't everything in terms of playmaking and coverage ability, his physicality would allow him to go toe-to-toe with the league's biggest receivers.

In the end, Hayward's experience will likely win him this battle. However, he'll have to be on his game throughout training camp, as he has some incredibly talented and hungry players nipping at his heels this offseason.