The Green Bay Packers lost their top two free agent cornerbacks this offseason. Davon House signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tramon Williams took some extra money to sign with the Cleveland Browns. Considering that the Packers ranked 10th in passing defense last season, these departures are big blows.
How will Green Bay plug these new holes in the secondary?
"It leaves the Packers with a gaping hole at cornerback and no real answers how to fill the spot," ESPN's Rob Demovsky said. "The Packers now need a starter opposite Sam Shields at one cornerback spot. They could turn to Casey Hayward who has played primarily in the slot through first three NFL seasons. But it would require a major shift for Hayward to go from playing inside to the outside spot. The same thing is true for Micah Hyde who has been their nickel cornerback the last two seasons. Hyde has played, again, primarily inside and not on the outside. The Packers don't really have other options on their roster. They have Dimitri Goodson, a sixth-round draft pick last year. But Goodson didn't play a single snap at defense last year, only playing on special teams. And then they have a couple of practice squad cornerbacks as well. Now, cornerback jumps to the top of their list of offseason needs and with the free agent market almost completely dried up, they will have to fill that through the draft."
Grabbing a cornerback in the draft who can step in and start right away may be tough. Michigan State CB Trae Waynes is considered by some to be the best prospect at the position in this year's draft class, but he likely won't make it out of the top 15. In the next tier sits LSU's Jalen Collins and Wake Forest's Kevin Johnson. Both defensive backs are projected to be taken off the board before Green bay picks at No. 30. However, Wake Forest's disappointing season could cause Johnson to fall just a bit.
Here's what ESPN NFL Draft Insider Mel Kiper Jr. had to say about Johnson.
"A standout on a lousy team, Johnson has good length for the position and moves and mirrors as well as any cornerback in the draft. He can make man-to-man coverage look so easy at times, and he's an active run defender."
The Packers will have to hope the Dallas Cowboys don't scoop Johnson up if they want to add him to their defense.
