As the Green Bay Packers enter their most challenging stretch of the season, players on both sides of the ball will be asked to elevate their game. However, with injuries causing constant problems on offense, even more pressure will be put on Green Bay's defense, whether it be the explosive pass rush led by Micah Parsons or a secondary filled with dynamic young players like Evan Williams and Carrington Valentine.
Both just 24 years old, Williams and Valentine have flashed this season. The Packers' defense ranks fifth in passing yards allowed, a decent improvement from last season, while coinciding with an increase in playing time for both of the young defenders.
Williams leads the team with three interceptions, bringing in two in the last two weeks. He's followed closely by Xavier McKinney, who led the team last year with eight, and plays next to him at the safety position. But Williams has also been a force in blitz schemes, recording four tackles for loss. That's more than both Lukas Van Ness and Edgerrin Cooper, two other players under 25 who have shown some real promise.
Evan Williams and Carrington Valentine are rising stars in Packers' defense
At the cornerback position, Carrington Valentine has crushed the organization's expectations. Drafted in the seventh round of the 2023 draft, he's been in constant rotation this season due to Nate Hobbs's injury concerns, and he's likely to step into an even larger role after Keisean Nixon sustained a neck injury on Sunday. In the last three weeks, Valentine has announced himself to the league, allowing just two receptions off 10 targets.
Cornerback has been labeled as a position of need for Green Bay in the last few draft cycles, but if Valentine continues to evolve into a true lockdown defender, worries about the CB room may begin to die down.
His most recent feat involved shutting down Justin Jefferson during Sunday's victory over the Vikings. No matter how bad the quarterback play might have been from J.J. McCarthy, successfully defending one of the most electric receivers in the NFL is pretty impressive, something Valentine made sure to celebrate on social media after the game.
As the youngest team in the league for three consecutive years, the Packers have several second- and third-year players who are beginning to come into their own. Williams and Valentine are having their moments, and with a Thanksgiving showdown against the Lions on the horizon, they could give Green Bay the edge and help pave the way to the playoffs.