Green Bay Packers Rookies Forecast

By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

Solid Starter

Josh Jackson, CB, Iowa – Round 2
The Packers have used a lot of early-round picks on cornerbacks in recent years, but they still entered the 2018 NFL Draft needing a lot of help at the position. Green Bay was very fortunate that Jackson fell to its second-round pick because he was in the running as the top cornerback of the 2018 draft class for a lot of the leadup to the draft. Landing Jackson in the second round was an excellent value for the Packers, and he could quickly emerge as a solid starter for Green Bay.

The 6-foot, 196-pound Jackson possesses the skill set to be a solid NFL starter. He has superb instincts and soft hands, plus his background as a wide receiver shows up with him making natural catches and playing the ball extremely well. Jackson also has good height and length to battle big receivers. He is physical and can jam them at the line. Being so instinctive allows him to thrive in zone coverage, and he is adept at picking up receivers who run into his territory. While Jackson isn’t overly twitchy or fast, he does a nice job of running the route to prevent separation when in man coverage. Jackson also has been well coached into being a disciplined corner. He is not a gambler who sells out for interceptions and gives up an equal number of big plays. Jackson is steady and reliable in coverage. He is versatile in that he could play press-man, zone, or off-man coverage in the NFL.

The Packers could take their time and ease Jackson into a larger role. They have other young talents at the position with Jaire Alexander and Kevin King. Veteran Tramon Williams could also factor in as a starter. However before long, Green Bay’s top trio of cornerbacks should be Alexander, King and Jackson. Defenses play three corners on the majority of their snaps, and Jackson has the ability to be a solid starter for Green Bay.

2017: Montravius Adams, DT
2016: Kenny Clark, DT
2015: Damarious Randall, DB
2014: HaHa Clinton-Dix, S
2013: Datone Jones, DE

Most Likely To Bust

J’Mon Moore, WR, Missouri – Round 4
Of Green Bay’s picks through the first four rounds of the 2018 NFL Draft, Moore stands out as having the most potential to be a bust. The biggest reason for that is a lack of speed. At the NFL Scouting Combine, Moore ran a surprisingly slow time of 4.60 seconds. He played faster than that at Missouri, so perhaps that time doesn’t reflect how he will transition to the NFL.

Aside from Moore having speed concerns, the Packers have a lot of roster competition at wide receiver. Davante Adams and Randall Cobb are the entrenched veterans, with Adams as the No .1 receiver. The Packers drafted DeAngelo Yancey last year, while Geronimo Allison has played well as an undrafted free agent. After Moore, Green Bay also drafted South Florida’s Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Notre Dame’s Equanimeous St. Brown, who have better combinations of size and speed than Moore does. There is going to be a fierce competition for roster spots, and I could see Moore being beaten out.

2017: Jamaal Williams, RB
2016: Kyler Fackrell, LB
2015: Ty Montgomery, WR
2014: Khyri Thornton, DL
2013: David Bakhtiari, OT

Potential Boom Pick

Jaire Alexander, CB, Louisville – Round 1
The Packers have used a lot of picks on cornerbacks in recent years, yet are still looking for a No.1 corner to lead their defense. After trading down in the first round, Green Bay moved back up to get Alexander, who has the potential to be a true No. 1 corner as a pro. The smooth, fast, and thickly built Alexander could easily have been a top-16 pick if he hadn’t dealt with a injuries during his final season at Louisville. He is an excellent cover corner with No. 1 potential for the NFL.

It is easy to fall in love with Alexander as a cover corner. He is extremely fast and possesses the athleticism and agility to run the route and prevent separation. Alexander blankets receivers as he can flip his hips to run with them downfield. With quick feet and explosion, Alexander (5-10, 196) breaks on the ball in a hurry to pick off or break up passes. He has good hands and strong ball skills. Alexander’s physical talent allows him to have excellent recoverability and be a willing tackler. He is a very instinctive corner with good route recognition. Alexander is very smart to look back at the quarterback, and he is a rare corner who doesn’t loose foot speed when looking back for the ball. While he isn’t the biggest of corners, he plays bigger than his size and is physical.

Alexander is a great fit for the Packers to be their man-cover corner. With his talent, he should start quickly for Green Bay next to Kevin King and Tramon Williams. Before long, Alexander could be Green Bay’s No. 1 corner for taking on the top receiver on a weekly basis. If Alexander stays healthy, he has real boom potential for the NFL and could be a No. 1 corner for many years to come.

2017: Kevin King, CB
2016: Blake Martinez, LB
2015: Quinten Rollins, CB
2014: Carl Bradford, LB
2013: Eddie Lacy, RB

Future Depth Player

Equanimeous St. Brown, WR, Notre Dame – Round 6
The Packers got a potential steal by landing St. Brown in the sixth round. Most projections had St. Brown going on the second day of the 2018 NFL Draft because the 6-foot-5, 214-pounder has good speed – a 4.48-second 40-yard dash – and route-running. However, this draft analyst, among others, was just too high on St. Brown, who had received a lot of mid-round grades according to sources at a handful of teams. One college scouting director said their team had a third-round grade on St. Brown and considered him in the middle of the draft, yet needed a different type of receiver, so they passed. That team did say they really liked St. Brown and thought he had the potential to be a receiver like Martavis Bryant. One source said the reason why St. Brown slid was being little bit of a weirdo coming from a unique situation, and a one-trick pony with inconsistent hands and average mental toughness. One team executive said they weren’t that impressed with St. Brown as a player, but acknowledged that he had upside.

Still, I think the big wideout could turn into a good receiver for Green Bay. If he doesn’t end up being a starter, St. Brown could be a nice red-zone option and backup receiver to rotate into the game. He also has the size and speed to contribute on special teams. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if St. Brown ends up being a really nice value pick.

2017: Vince Biegel, LB
2016: Dean Lowry, DE
2015: Brett Hundley, QB
2014: Jared Abbrederis, WR
2013: Johnathan Franklin, RB

Walt’s 2018 NFL Draft Grades:

18. Jaire Alexander, CB, Louisville B- Grade
If Jaire Alexander can stay healthy, the Packers will be getting a terrific cornerback for their maligned secondary. The problem, however, is his durability. Some teams thought Alexander could slip to the second round because of all his injury issues. In fact, I think Alexander could have been available at No. 27, so I’m not thrilled about the Packers surrendering a third-round pick to get him. That said, Green Bay acquired a 2019 first-rounder in the entire process, so I’m not going to give them a bad grade. Again, if they luck out with Alexander’s health, they will have made a huge upgrade to the defensive backfield.

45. Joshua Jackson, CB, Iowa A+ Grade
Holy hell, I forgot Joshua Jackson was still available. How in the world did he fall this far? Jackson is a player who could’ve gone No. 14 overall to the Packers, and I would’ve been fine with it. Some people whose opinion I respect think Jackson should’ve been in the conversation as the top cornerback in this entire class. Jackson is tall and instinctive and in the mold of Aqib Talib, and he should be an instant upgrade in Green Bay’s atrocious secondary.

88. Oren Burks, LB, Vanderbilt B+ Grade
Oren Burks is a solid pick in the middle of the third round. He’s an athletic linebacker with nice instincts, and he could eventually become a starter for the Packers, who desperately needed some inside linebacker help.

133. J’Mon Moore, WR, Missouri B+ Grade
J’Mon Moore is a better version of Jaleel Scott, who went one selection earlier than this. Moore is highly athletic with upside, but he drops too many passes. Still, he could be developed into a solid starter.

138. Cole Madison, G/OT, Washington State A- Grade
Cole Madison was introduced as a tackle, but I think he may have to play guard. That makes more sense, as Green Bay had to bolster its interior protection. I like this pick a lot, as I could see a scenario in which Madison starts as a rookie.

172. JK Scott, P, Alabama C- Grade
Once again, punters grow on trees, and solid ones at the position can be obtained as undrafted free agents. They make sense in the sixth or seventh rounds, but a fifth-round pick should be used on a real football player.

174. Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR, South Florida B Grade
Marquez Valdes-Scantling is a very raw player, but has some good upside. He’s a player Al Davis would’ve liked as a height-weight-speed guy. He could be a good player one day, or he could be a flop. Sounds like a fifth-round pick to me.

207. Equanimeous St. Brown, WR, Notre Dame A+ Grade
Wow, what a steal! I consistently had Equanimeous St. Brown in the second or third round of my mock drafts, and I’m shocked that he lasted past the fourth frame. St. Brown was very productive in 2016, but that changed this past season because of the quarterbacking problems at Notre Dame. St. Brown could develop into a solid NFL starter, so he’s a steal this late in the draft.

232. James Looney, DE/DT, California B+ Grade
James Looney was considered a potential mid-round prospect heading into 2017, but he struggled this past season. On top of that, he’s a tweener. The good news is that Looney is athletic, so he has potential. Why not swing for the fences in the seventh round?

239. Hunter Bradley, LS, Mississippi State C+ Grade
Long-snappers can be found on the street, but I’m fine with a team selecting one in the seventh round.

248. Kendall Donnerson, DE/OLB, Southeast Missouri State B+ Grade
Kendall Donnerson made a name for himself with a stellar pro day workout. He ran a 4.44 and leapt 40 inches despite weighing close to 250 pounds. Donnerson was going to draw tons of interest on the UDFA market, so credit the Packers for taking the initiative by going after Donnerson prior to the conclusion of the draft.

2018 NFL Draft Team Grade: A . Follow Walter @walterfootball for updates.

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