What’s the point of following training camp if not to get hyped for late-round picks and fringe roster players?
Every year, a different, often unfamiliar name keeps popping up through camp. For the 2023 Green Bay Packers, cornerback Carrington Valentine is that guy. He’s making a big splash every practice. The rookie corner was the first of Green Bay’s 18 (okay, actually four) seventh-round selections in April’s draft.
The speedy former Wildcat is following up a strong OTA appearance by making plays on the daily, including an impressive probable pick-six against backup QB Danny Etling. Yes, it was July, and, yes, it was practice. It’s also a long shot for a seventh-round pick to make the 53-man roster, let alone carve out a role. But Valentine is an exciting young player with a real chance to develop into a bright spot for the Packers.
The former Wildcat is a classic cornerback prospect for Green Bay — speedy, an elite athlete, has excellent press-man acumen, and played against elite competition in the SEC. His 9.29 RAS is exactly the type of athletic profile Gutekunst and Co. seek.
Valentine is a physical player who takes pride in his press abilities. In his initial Zoom interview, he said that he’s more than comfortable being on an island with receivers. He’s a savvy and willing tackler, something the Packers need more of. However, he hasn’t graded well against the run.
Lance Zierlein viewed Valentine as a priority free-agent signing:
Valentine has the physical traits necessary for the NFL but the instincts and body control to extend his coverage against quality route runners leaves something to be desired. He’s solid at crowding vertical throws and can play press-and-bail, but he has had coverage busts in zone. Also, he bites too easily on double moves. Valentine’s lack of aggression as a run defender could make it tougher for zone teams to give him a chance.
Mel Kiper was higher on the Ohio native, claiming that Valentine could be a good starter moving forward and that the Packers got a steal.
Via Sports Illustrated’s Bill Huber, even Valentine’s college coach thought he’d be a bit of a project.
So far, the seventh-rounder is exceeding expectations and looking like he belongs on the field. He’s been a terror on the second-team defense, including Monday’s brilliant interception against Etling, but he’s also shown some skills against the ones. Last Thursday, Valentine went toe-to-toe with Christian Watson and used his speed to hang in man coverage and bat the ball away. The ball was well-placed, and it’s not exactly easy to keep pace with Watson, but the moment wasn’t too big for the rookie corner.
On Tuesday, Matt LaFleur highlighted Valentine as a “good, young player,” adding, “I love how he competes. He’s going to go out there and challenge it. You can coach him hard and he’s receptive to the coaching.”
If Valentine keeps making these big plays like this, he’ll be hard to keep off of the roster. His main competition comes from Shemar Jean-Charles, Corey Ballentine, Kiondre Thomas, Tyrell Ford, and William Hooper. Still, Valentine’s name has come up the most (and not just because it’s a common word in day-to-day vernacular).
Last year, Green Bay had five cornerbacks on the initial 53-man roster: Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas, Eric Stokes, Keisean Nixon, and Shemar Jean-Charles. Alexander, Douglas, and Nixon will make the initial cut for sure. Stokes’ status will depend on how quickly he comes back to the roster, but it’s not impossible for him to make the initial 53-man. Valentine could easily make a push as the fifth-best corner on the team and earn a spot. If these past few weeks have shown us anything, he might already be there.
As is generally the case for these late-round/fringe roster players, the easiest way to carve a path to the roster is to find a role on everyone’s favorite unit — special teams. Beyond the presumed starting CBs, Ballentine played 24.77% of ST snaps in 2022 while Jean-Charles played 16.82%. Valentine will need to prove reliable on teams to earn those snaps.
Thankfully, Valentine has experience there from college. He played 341 ST snaps at Kentucky on a variety of units. He’ll need to learn on that experience along with his defensive playmaking abilities to earn playing time.
Consistency is the key for late-rounders to make the roster, and so far, Valentine has been just that. The more a young player can make their name heard, the better chance they have to stay in the coaching staff’s good graces. Valentine was part of a big draft class, including four seventh-rounders. Gutekunst loves his draft picks, though, which gives Valentine another edge over his competition. It’s easy to get too excited about unfamiliar players in training camp, but it’s hard to deny the Packers have something sweet in Valentine.
