One change of scenery? OK, maybe that fresh start will be just the ticket. But a second, which is what new Green Bay Packers cornerback Isaac Yiadom is getting?
“I really liked him, thought he was one of the better corners in the [2018 draft] class,” a Northeast region scout said. “When Denver traded him [to the New York Giants] for a seventh, I was kind of pissed at our GM. But, hey, that’s why he’s the GM. Sometimes, you miss on your evaluation. I missed on him.”
Yiadom was a third-round pick by the Denver Broncos in 2018 based on production (two interceptions, 19 passes defensed as a junior and senior at Boston College) and traits (6-foot 7/8, 4.52 in the 40). However, the Broncos dumped him on the Giants for the aforementioned seventh-round pick at the end of camp last summer. And now, after giving up more touchdowns (six) than he broke up passes (five) last year, the Giants shipped him to Green Bay on Tuesday in exchange for another disappointing cornerback, Josh Jackson.
“I don’t really regret anything in the past, ever,” Yiadom said after Wednesday’s practice. “I don’t really like to say, ‘New start, new start, new start.’ Whatever I learned in the past, I feel like it’s a lesson l learned to become better in the future, so whatever I learned in Denver helped me become a better player in New York. Whatever I learned in New York is going to help me become a better player here.
“So, I don’t really like to look at it as, I’m this third-round pick, you know what I mean? Because, at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter once you get into the league. You’ve got free agents starting. So, I’ve just got to go about my business every day and get better as a player. I’m just right now focused on how am I going to be the best Ike in Green Bay. How am I going to be the best corner in Green Bay? How am I going to help my team win? So, that’s all it is.”
In man coverage, Yiadom lacks the twitch, fluidity and short-area quickness to react and close on a dime. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed 9-of-12 passing with three touchdowns in man. However, he is an excellent open-field tackler and is strong in run support. Perhaps the scheme employed by first-year defensive coordinator Joe Barry will be a better fit.
Or, as was the case with Jackson, perhaps he was overdrafted as the 11th cornerback off the board in 2018.
In three seasons, Jackson allowed six touchdowns, didn’t intercept any passes and was penalized 13 times. Yiadom allowed nine touchdowns, intercepted one pass and was penalized eight times. Last season, the Packers were guilty of seven defensive pass interference penalties. Jackson was flagged for four of them – an appalling number considering he really only played in six games.
With Jackson struggling through his fourth training camp and buried on the depth chart, the Packers are giving Yiadom his second fresh start in less than 12 months.
“I don’t really look at it as, ‘I’m a third-round pick, I’ve got to meet this expectation or I’ve got to do this,’” Yiadom said. “I just try to meet Ike’s expectations, you know what I mean? I just try to do what I’ve got to do, and that’s get better every single day. It’s not like it hasn’t panned out or hasn’t worked out. I don’t see it like that. At the end of the day, I think I’m getting better every day. That’s all that matters to me. I’m in a great place, Green Bay. And I’m ready to play. So, I’m going to help my team out here.”
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