Acme Packing Company
If it’s time to move on from Jaire Alexander, who do you want?
At the time of this article being published, our poll asking Green Bay Packers fans what you believe is the team’s biggest need going into this offseason shows that 48 percent of you are answering cornerback. With Keisean Nixon locked into an outside cornerback job and second-round pick Javon Bullard set to play the nickelback position full-time going into 2025, it’s pretty clear that fans believe that the Jaire Alexander era is over. Alexander, who has only played about half of the available games since signing his contract extension in Green Bay, commands a $16.15 million salary for the upcoming season.
The question now is what the team should do to replace Alexander. To try to resolve that, let’s review the Packers’ options as they appear today.
The top two cornerbacks in the 2025 draft simply won’t be available for the Packers. Colorado receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, coming off of a Heisman season, is currently ranked as the third overall player in the draft according to the consensus draft board. Michigan’s Will Johnson is ranked eighth in a class that really only has six to ten blue-chip prospects, depending on what you think about the quarterbacks, running back Ashton Jeanty and tight end Tyler Warren.
So who does that leave the Packers with in the first round? Well, let’s start with the players with injury concerns. The next two cornerbacks on the consensus draft board had season-ending injuries in 2024: Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison and East Carolina’s Shavon Revel Jr. Morrison injured his hip against Stanford in October while Revel tore his ACL in a September practice.
The top available cornerback for the Packers who might actually be ready to play for the team in Week 1 of the regular season is Texas’ Jahdae Barron, who won the Jim Thorpe Award in 2024 and was also named a first-team All-SEC player. At 23 years old, he’s an older draft prospect after playing all five seasons at Texas. Had it not been for Barron receiving the Covid year exemption in 2020, he would have been a member of last year’s draft class.
Below is Bleacher Report’s scouting report on Barron:
Jahdae Barron is a highly versatile defensive back with the ability to play multiple positions, including cornerback, nickel, and safety. Standing at 5’11” and 200 pounds, Barron has demonstrated the instincts and adaptability needed to contribute in almost any role within a defensive backfield. Known for his physicality, high motor, and football intelligence, Barron has shown that he can impact the game in both the run and pass game. Depending on the NFL team and scheme, his skills give him the potential to wreak havoc on the field, making him a valuable asset at the next level.
Barron hasn’t officially been measured in yet, but the Packers are known for their hard height limit for cornerbacks in the draft, a response to Ahmad Carroll...
