Packers: How first-round draft pick Jaire Alexander fits on depth chart
By Nile McNair
How first-round pick Jaire Alexander fits into the Green Bay Packers’ plans.
Unlike in years past, the Green Bay Packers were very active on draft night. Green Bay participated in two trades on the first day. First, trading back from the 14th pick to the 27th pick. Four picks later, they traded up from the 27th pick back up to the 18th pick in the draft.
With that pick, the Packers selected Jaire Alexander, a cornerback from the University of Louisville. Alexander was one of the top two or three cornerback prospects available in the draft.
Alexander is a small cornerback at 5-foot-10, 196 pounds, but with his small size comes great quickness. Running a 4.38-second 40-yard dash at the combine, Alexander as a rookie can easily play at slot cornerback in Green Bay.
Alexander’s strengths match up perfectly for a potential elite slot corner. Alexander is a playmaker who aggressively attacks the ball, and uses his speed to play great man-to-man defense on receivers.
Though he is a small cornerback, Alexander has ballhawk ability, which is key for that position. He was hurt in the 2017 season and only played six games. But in 2016, when Alexander played a full season, he led his Louisville Cardinals team with five interceptions.
Tramon Williams, Kevin King and Alexander will most likely be the Packers’ top three corners this season.
With the selection of Alexander, Green Bay addressed possibly its biggest need on the roster. At the same time, Williams is 35 years of age and likely to retire soon. King and Alexander are a tandem for years to come, providing an upgrade over previous corners playing the position.
At such a young age, Alexander has a ton of room to develop and grow.
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At 21, if he develops well, he could move from a premier slot cornerback to a potential top notch number two corner. For next season, expect Alexander to hold his own against some slot wide receivers the Packers will play, including Julian Edelman, Golden Tate, Cooper Kupp and Falcons’ first-round pick Calvin Ridley.