Packers pick Eric Stokes: Breaking down first-round 2021 selection

Day one of the 2021 NFL Draft will be a day that fans of the Green Bay Packers will remember forever. Hours before the draft kicked off, it was reported that Aaron Rodgers wanted out of Green Bay.

After the news broke, there were rumors that the Packers would trade Rodgers to move up in the draft to select one of this year’s highly-touted quarterbacks.

Green Bay ended up staying at the 29th pick and drafted Eric Stokes, a cornerback from the University of Georgia. The selection of Stokes was somewhat of a surprise as after the Rodgers drama you’d think Green Bay would go offense with the pick.

Eric Stokes breakdown

Like every draft prospect, Stokes has both strengths and things he can improve on. The most evident strength of Stokes’ game is his speed. The Georgia cornerback ran a 40-yard dash in 4.25 seconds. In comparison, John Ross, who has the fastest 40 time, ran it in 4.22 seconds.

That speed aided Stokes as during the past two seasons he’s played against the best wide receivers in the country. In 2019 he had to play against LSU, who had future first-round picks in Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase. Then in 2020 Stokes would match up with two more future first-round picks in Alabama’s DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle.

A weakness for Stokes is his size. While he does have great speed, he is small weight wise, as he is listed at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds. This could be an issue when facing bigger receivers in the NFC like Julio Jones or D.K. Metcalf.

Another concern is that Stokes has not been a cornerback for a long time. Before switching to cornerback during his senior year of high school, Stokes played running back. However, to Stokes’ credit he improved each season during his three years at Georgia.

Stokes went from not starting in 2018, to second-team All-SEC in 2019, then to first-team All-SEC in 2020. Not to mention, getting his only four interceptions of his college career during the 2020 campaign.

The final concern regarding Stokes is the fact that he is a physical and hands-on cornerback. While being a physical cornerback is great, Stokes needs to be careful as he will be more penalized in the NFL than in college.

Potential of Packers secondary

Stokes seems to be the replacement for Kevin King, who returned to the Packers this offseason on a one-year deal. This upcoming year, the Packers’ secondary could feature Stokes, Jaire Alexander, Darnell Savage, and Adrian Amos.

While they may not be the best secondary in the league, they might be the fastest. That speed will help the Packers defense keep everything in front of them and prevent big plays.

Although Stokes was slated to be a second-round pick in most mock drafts, he is by no means a reach. Outside of Patrick Surtain II, Caleb Farley, and Jaycee Horn, who were the clear top cornerbacks of this class, Stokes was arguably the best cornerback available.

The draft is a day where dreams come true and Packers fans should take a moment away from the Rodgers drama to welcome Stokes to the team.