Iowa cornerback Josh Jackson is drafted in the second round with the No. 45 pick overall.
GREEN BAY – Three years ago, determined to build the foundation of their pass coverage, the Green Bay Packers channeled their most valuable resources into drafting cornerbacks.
In the first round of the 2015 draft, former general manager Ted Thompson selected an athletic, undersized safety to be the Packers’ slot corner. Almost 24 hours later, the Packers doubled down and drafted a ball-hawking corner with limited college experience. Together, Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins were the future.
It instead was a spectacular failure. The Packers traded Randall to the Cleveland Browns earlier this spring. Rollins, recovering from a torn Achilles, almost has as many surgeries as interceptions. Their inability to develop into what they were drafted to be – the future of the Packers’ secondary – forced successor Brian Gutekunst to rebuild in his first draft as general manager.
One day after drafting a slot corner for the Packers’ secondary, Gutekunst took a corner who might start early in his career on the perimeter. The Packers
doubled down at the position for the second time in four drafts, selecting Iowa’s Josh Jackson with the No. 45 overall pick in the second round one day after taking Louisville’s Jaire Alexander with the 18th overall pick in the first.
Gutekunst said he didn’t enter Friday planning to take another cornerback. Instead, he stuck to his draft board, drafting the best player available regardless of position.
“It wasn’t the plan,” Gutekunst said. “I think it was just one of those things where we got lucky and were able to take a player we didn’t expect to be there.”
The Packers, who traded their original third-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks to move up in Thursday’s first round, executed another trade later Friday to return to the third round. They drafted Vanderbilt linebacker Oren Burks with the 88th overall pick, giving the Carolina Panthers picks Nos. 101 (fourth round) and 147 (fifth) to improve their draft position. Burks, a former safety, is as athletic an inside linebacker
as the Packers have had in some time. He ran a 4.59-second 40 at the NFL scouting combine, with a 39.5-inch vertical leap and 131-inch broad jump. The Packers hope Burks will lock down their midfield coverage in subpackage defenses.
It’s the second straight year the Packers have drafted defensive players with their first three picks, but cornerback has been the story of this draft.
“We all know the situation as far as getting depth at that position,” Packers scout Alonzo Dotson said, “and we definitely did that today.”
If it works, the Packers maximized the value of their two most important draft picks this spring.
Though they have several other roster needs, there’s no question the Packers are a better team if Alexander and Jackson join second-year corner Kevin King to significantly improve their pass coverage. With veterans Tramon Williams and Davon House also on the roster to serve as mentors, the Packers have an ideal blend of young talent and veteran experience.
It doesn’t mean the Packers’ plan in this draft will work. Only three years ago, they surely thought Randall and Rollins would be pillars on which their
pass coverage would be built. There are similarities with Alexander and Jackson, enough to give pause.
Alexander, like Randall, has plus athleticism but is undersized. At 5-10 1/4, Alexander is a quarter inch below former Packers GM Ron Wolf ’s minimum height requirement for the position, a guideline the franchise has followed almost without exception for close to three decades. Alexander will have to prove his lack of size won’t be an issue in the NFL.
Jackson, like Rollins, was a ball hawk with limited college experience. He started just one season at Iowa, same as Rollins at Miami (Ohio). That season couldn’t have gone better: Jackson led the nation with eight interceptions last season. Rollins was third in the nation with seven interceptions in 2014.
But to expect Alexander and Jackson to follow the same trajectory as Randall and Rollins would be ignoring their differences.
“I think those are two completely different situations,” Gutekunst said. “I think the two players that we picked yesterday and today, we’re very high on their upside.”
Gutekunst drafted vastly different corners in Alexander and Jackson.
Alexander, whose 4.38 40 at the combine was seventh best among defensive backs, brings speed to the Packers secondary.
Speed – or lack of it – may be the biggest question with Jackson’s game. He has good height at 6 feet, 3/8 inches.
Like Alexander, Jackson is a converted receiver who transitioned his ball skills to the defensive side. But scouts questioned Jackson’s speed before the draft.
What Jackson might lack in speed, Dotson said he compensates with how he plays on the field. He has adequate arm length at 31 1/8 inches, helping him play tough at the line of scrimmage.
Dotson said Jackson’s ability to press off the snap helps him gain leverage over receivers, and he finishes plays like a receiver.
“It goes back to his awareness and IQ for the game,” Dotson said. “He knows how to cut things off and leverage routes. The speed never really worried us because he’s just so smart and he’s always in the right position to play the ball. Obviously, the end result is getting the ball and he will do that.”
If Jackson does the same with the Packers, he and Alexander could form the future of their secondary.