The Green Bay Packers lost two cornerbacks to free agency in Tramon Williams and Davon House. As a result, general manager Ted Thompson invested the 30th overall pick in the draft into versatile defensive back Damarious Randall.
Randall was held out of rookie camp and much of OTAs due to an ankle injury suffered before the draft. While his talent is unquestioned, the rookie spent the majority of his time playing safety at Arizona State and it's unknown if he will be able to contribute as a starting cornerback early on.
"It might be a stretch to ask a rookie to start Week 1 at a challenging position like cornerback, especially a rookie who did not play the position in college," ESPN Packers reporter Rob Demovsky wrote.
"...The Packers plan to test Randall as an outside cover man right away. He played right cornerback with the No. 2 defense during Tuesday's OTA. His most noticeable play came during the two-minute period, when he appeared to fall for a double move by undrafted rookie receiver Larry Pinkard, who found himself several steps behind Randall. It would have been a 35-yard touchdown, but Pinkard dropped it."
As of right now, Casey Hayward appears to be the front runner to replace Williams in the starting lineup. Unfortunately, Hayward has been out for the entire offseason with a foot injury. Demetri Goodson has been practicing in his spot despite not taking a single defensive snap as a rookie last year. Second-round pick Quinten Rollins has mostly been put into nickel cornerback duty so far.
Will Randall be able to make a big enough impression to convince coaches that he is ready for the spotlight early on? We'll find out as the rest of the offseason continues to unfold.
