Account
Eric Stokes Drafted by Packers: Green Bay's Updated Depth Chart After Round 1
April 30, 2021
The Green Bay Packers made a surprise pick at the tail end of the first round of the NFL draft, taking cornerback Eric Stokes with the No. 29 overall pick.
Bleacher Report's NFL Scouting Department ranked him as the No. 62 overall player available.
Stokes, who is 6'1" and 194 pounds, appeared in 31 games through three seasons at Georgia, finishing with 60 solo tackles (18 assisted, two for loss). He posted four interceptions for a total of 94 yards and two touchdowns in 2020 en route to being voted to the All-SEC second-team by the league's coaches.
Here's a look at the Packers' updated defensive depth chart following the pick:
LDE: Dean Lowry, Delontae Scott, Bronson Kaufusi
NT: Kenny Clark, Anthony Rush
RDE: Tyler Lancaster, Kingsley Keke, Willington Previlon
OLB: Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, Jonathan Garvin
ILB: Krys Barnes, Ty Summers
ILB: Kamal Martin, Oren Burks, De'Jon Harris
OLB: Za'Darius Smith, Randy Ramsey, Tipa Galeai
CB: Jaire Alexander, Chandon Sullivan, Ka'dar Hollman, Stanford Samuels III
CB: Kevin King, Eric Stokes, Josh Jackson, Parry Nickerson, KeiVarae Russell
FS: Adrian Amos, Will Redmond, Raven Greene, Henry Black
SS: Darnell Savage Jr., Vernon Scott, Innis Gaines
Depth chart info provided by Ourlads and Over the Cap.
On the B/R big board, Stokes was slated to be selected in the second or third rounds of the draft, while NFL's Lance Zierlein projected him to go on Friday as well, expecting his ceiling to make him a starter within his first two seasons in the league.
The athletic speedster (who ran a 4.31 40-yard dash) has some growing to do in terms of his playmaking and confidence in the field, but overall he should be considered someone who can grow into an everyday player in the cornerback rotation.
He was the fifth cornerback selected in the first round, with Jaycee Horn and Patrick Surtain II kicking things off by going to the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos at Nos. 8 and 9, respectively. Caleb Farley went at No. 22 to the Tennessee Titans, then Greg Newsome II became the second Northwestern player drafted in the first round when he went to the Cleveland Browns at No. 26.
The Packers have a legit CB1 already, with Jaire Alexander coming off of his first Pro Bowl season, while Kevin King and Chandon Sullivan will also be competing for time at the position when Stokes comes to town.