3 Packers rookies with the most to prove this offseason for Green Bay to get back to NFC Championship

2. Eric Stokes, cornerback

The Packers again passed on a wide receiver in the first round of this year’s draft, taking Stokes at No. 29 overall. Cornerback was certainly an area in need of upgrade, with Jaire Alexander becoming one of the best in the league last year and a steep drop-off after him to Kevin King and Josh Jackson. It’s just worth wondering if it required a first-round investment, especially with the perception better corners were passed on.

NFL Next Gen Stats was high on Stokes though, with numbers that put him among the top corners in this year’s draft class revealing his potential. So while many think the Packers reached a bit, some mock drafts pointed to Stokes being a first-rounder as time went on.

Stokes has decent size (6-foot-1, 185 pounds), with blazing speed (4.28). With 22 pass breakups during his career at Georgia but just four interceptions (all in 2020), improving his ball skills was a “big emphasis” for Packers’ head coach Matt LaFleur during rookie minicamp.

“He can be an elite corner in this league. And when you find corners that can take the ball away, there’s nothing more valuable than that,” LaFleur said.

Stokes will be counted on to pair with Alexander better than King did last season, or at least push cut candidate Jackson out of the picture for snaps. Even on the best teams it’s nice if a first-round pick makes an immediate impact, and the Packers need Stokes to prove capable right away.