Packers.com consulted more than a dozen mock drafts from reputable national outlets and compiled a list of players most frequently mocked as draft selections in the bottom third of the first round (picks 20-32).
Between now and draft day, when the Packers are slated to select at No. 29 overall, those players will be profiled with thumbnail sketches in a new series entitled "Draft Digest."
Today's player is …
Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia
Height/Weight: 6-1, 185
Key stats: Intercepted four passes last season in 10 games to rank second in the Southeastern Conference, returning two for TDs.
College honors: Named first-team All-SEC by the media in 2020 after earning second-team honors the prior season.
Background: A Georgia native, Stokes learned the cornerback position early in his college career from Deandre Baker, a first-round draft pick in 2019. After Baker's departure, he took over as a full-time starter, leading the team in '19 with nine pass breakups, but he had no interceptions. He changed that in '20 with four, including a pair of pick-sixes, which boosted his draft stock. He has tremendous speed, as the high school sprinting star clocked a pair of sub-4.3 40s at Georgia's pro day and posted a 38½-inch vertical. He's criticized at times for grabbing with his hands too much in coverage, and like any player projected by some to go late in the first round, he's mentioned just as often as a second-rounder, but a high ceiling makes him an attractive prospect.
Potential fit with Packers: Green Bay is bringing back its top three cornerbacks from a year ago in Jaire Alexander, Kevin King and Chandon Sullivan, but looking to the future at this position and stocking it is a priority. Stokes' blazing speed is reminiscent of former Packers corner Sam Shields, only Stokes will enter the NFL with far more experience as a cover man. Stokes is seen as more of an outside corner than a slot one, and the impressive athletic ability and better-than-raw skills are certainly traits secondary coach Jerry Gray could work with, and they'd translate well to a special-teams role as punt gunner, too.
View all the Draft Digest profiles here.
