The Packers Appear To Finally Be Taking Cornerback Seriously

Cornerback was at the top of the Green Bay Packers’ list for roster needs entering this offseason. While they addressed it in early free agency by signing Benjamin St-Juste, it remained on the wishlist entering the draft.

General manager Brian Gutekunst addressed it with their first pick when he took Brandon Cisse at 52nd overall. Then he double-dipped when he selected Alabama cornerback Domani Jackson with the 201st pick in the sixth round.

Gutekunst has said he believes in Green Bay’s current group of corners and that they didn’t need wholesale changes. Even if he felt good about the top of the roster, the issues were the quality of competition and depth. Perhaps the addition of two corners shows Gutey is finally taking corner depth seriously.

First, we have to revisit what Gutekunst said about his starting corner duo from last season. When addressing what potential roster moves his team might need to prevent another early playoff exit in his postseason press conference, Gutekunst went out of his way to praise the play of presumed starting cornerbacks Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine.

He said Valentine “did a great job” when Nate Hobbs was injured, and Nixon “obviously had a very, very good year.”

“But we need to add some numbers there,” he said.

I guess it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone that Gutekunst would speak highly of the duo, considering he did little to address the top of the position the previous offseason. After releasing former All-Pro Jaire Alexander, Gutekunst added former Las Vegas Raiders corner Nate Hobbs in free agency. He stuck with the former seventh-round pick and undrafted free agent in Valentine and Nixon to round out the top of their depth chart entering the 2025 season.

Coming off their 2024 performances, Nixon’s 64.1 PFF grade and Valentine’s 65.5 grade were more in line with an average CB3, not a CB2 or CB1. It got even worse when Hobbs got injured in training camp and was on and off the field throughout the year. All Gutekunst really did was swap out the oft-injured Alexander for the equally oft-injured Hobbs (who only lasted a season).

The depth – or lack thereof – consisted of former Kansas City Chiefs draft pick Kamal Hadden, college safety Jaylin Simpson, and wide receiver-turned-corner Bo Melton. Yes, in case you’ve tried to forget about it, the team was so desperate for cornerback depth that they attempted to convert a wide receiver.

Green Bay drafted cornerback Micah Robinson out of Tulane in the seventh round of the 2025 draft. However, they released him at the end of camp and placed him on the practice squad, and the Tennessee Titans scooped him up.

With few options behind Nixon, Valentine, and Hobbs, Gutekunst had to scavenge the waiver wire once injuries struck. He found Shemar Bartholomew on the street after the Minnesota Vikings cut him from their practice squad, and then memorably claimed former Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs.

Bartholomew played 34 rather forgettable snaps in the season finale. Diggs played a total of 33 of snaps in the season finale against the Vikings and managed to get on the field for just one snap in the playoff game. That handful of snaps from Diggs also cost the Packers over half a million dollars. Perhaps not the best use of money there.

After shuffling to find playable corners at the end of the season, Gutekunst didn’t just settle for the signing of a veteran in St-Juste. He realized he needed to add young, quality competition and depth to his corner room. Drafting Cisse and Jackson do just that.

Cisse is a young, high-upside player who can compete this season for snaps and slide right into a starting job in 2027 – if not sooner. He checks all of the boxes the Packers look for in a corner. At 5’11”, 189 lbs., with a 40-yard dash time of 4.41 and an RAS of 9.24, he has everything the Packers look for in a draft pick.

Domani Jackson provides them with the quality depth they craved. A talented press-man cover corner with a high football IQ, he should be able to come in and compete with Hadden in particular for the last roster spot at the position.

A knee injury and staff turnover at the school resulted in two subpar seasons after the former five-star recruit out of high school committed to USC. He transferred to Alabama for his final two seasons, and the Packers would be thrilled to get the 2024 version of Jackson. He started all 13 games, collected two interceptions on nine passes defended, and allowed a 54% completion rate to go along with a passer rating of 63.

Gutekunst tends to do exactly what he did at corner this year, and in prior years, when faced with questions at a particular position. In 2018, he needed wide receivers, so he drafted three in Marquez Valdes-Scantling, J'Mon Moore, and Equanimeous St. Brown. That same year, he also attacked corner with back-to-back picks of Alexander and Josh Jackson.

Two years ago, Gutekunst needed to address safety even after signing Xavier McKinney in free agency, so he drafted three: Javon Bullard, Evan Williams, and Kitan Oladapo. Not all of those picks worked out, but they all added competition and depth.

We must also note that both Nixon and Valentine are entering the final years of their contracts. One would think the interest in extending both is lukewarm at best. Nixon will be entering his age-30 season, and Valentine's tackling isn’t exactly going to get any better as he ages. Before the two selections, the Packers were set to have just one corner under contract beyond this season.

It had been quite a while since Gutekunst really addressed competition and depth in the CB room. He went four drafts without taking one higher than the seventh round. Now, hopefully Cisse and Jackson can prove that he made the right choices so Gutey can continue taking this position seriously.