Packers are counting heavily on second-year player to have a solid CB group

Right before the draft, the external perception was the cornerback would be a main priority for the Green Bay Packers. Terrion Arnold, Cooper DeJean, and Kool-Aid McKinstry were frequently mocked to the Packers. But the team didn't address the position until the seventh round, when they took Kalen King with the 255th overall pick.

They seem to be happy with their depth, even after trading Rasul Douglas to the Buffalo Bills during last season and with Eric Stokes battling injuries over the last two years.

And the main reason for that confidence is Carrington Valentine. A seventh-round pick a year ago, the cornerback stepped up as a rookie because of injuries on the roster, and the front office believes he can have another jump in year 2.

"He showed last year that he was (a starting-caliber cornerback)," Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said. "He played very consistent football for us, and I think his best football is ahead of him, like a lot of our guys. He needs to get a little bit stronger, and I think he will. But I think the positions we put him in this past season, he answered the bell quite a bit throughout. Some of those were on short notice. And to come in and compete like he did, you don't see that a lot out of seventh-round players. He had a lot of belief in himself and when the opportunities came, he certainly capitalized on them."

Even though the Packers preach competition and Valentine will have to beat former first-round pick Eric Stokes to be a starter, it feels like it's his job to lose at this point.

Last year, Derrick Ansley was the Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator. He was hired as the Packers passing game coordinator this offseason, working primarily with cornerbacks, and he has already seen good things from Valentine.

"When you just watch his POA (point of attack) tape throughout the season, you don't really see a rookie. At least I didn't," Ansley said last week. "Obviously, he has some things he has to clean up and he knows that. We've been working hard attacking those things, but Carrington's wired the right way. He fits right in with that group very well, with Ja and Stokes and Keisean, and Corey Ballentine, Robert Rochelle. All those guys are all wired the right way. Credit to Gute and his staff for identifying those guys and they all have unique skillsets. They're long and they're fast. With that skillset, we have a lot to work with."

Performance

Carrington Valentine played 695 defensive snaps as a rookie. He had 39 solo tackles, nine stops, and allowed an 84.1 passer rating when targeted. The run defense lowered his overall grade, according to PFF, but he had a solid 60.1 coverage grade — and as a boundary corner, his run defense abilities are not as important.

With Jaire Alexander entering his seventh season in the NFL, which is a dangerous area of a cornerback career's timeline, and with the Packers not exercising Eric Stokes' fifth-year option, the position might be the biggest long-term need on the roster.

But at least for now, Green Bay seems to be happy with what they have — and Carrington Valentine is a big part of that confidence.