Cooper DeJean this and Kool-Aid McKinstry that. The Green Bay Packers can find their answer at cornerback later in the draft with Florida State’s Renardo Green.
Green matched up against LSU’s Malik Nabers, who could be one of the first wide receivers off the board and is a surefire top-10 pick, for much of FSU’s opening game against the Tigers, and he held Nabers to six receptions for 67 yards.
The senior from Orlando, Fla., is 6’0”, 186 lbs., and would slot nicely in Green Bay’s corner group. Green has some impressive college accolades. Last season, Green led the Seminoles in pass breakups and was named to the ACC second team.
Green is an aggressive press corner who could excel on the boundary in Jeff Hafley’s scheme. Hafley wants his corners to play press man courage, and Green excels at that.
“Not every snap, but I like press people,” Hafley said. “So the things I believe in defense – whether you’re playing 3-4 or 4-3, press man, which I do love, zone coverages, vision, and break, quarters, match, it comes down to ‘Can you take your players who you have and put them in the best position to succeed?’ And can you take your players and maximize their ability? Like, every player wants to get better, and that’s our job to do.”
PFF is a fan of Green. They have Green as their No. 1 press corner in the class, with an elite 86.4 coverage grade last season and a man coverage grade of over 90. PFF had Green at sixth in the country last year in pass breakups; 75% of Green’s snaps last season were in press-man coverage, and he thrived.
He has faced a gauntlet of NFL receiving talent and held his own. He was solid against LSU’s Nabers and Brian Thomas, who are projected to go in the first round, and Rickey Persall and Jamari Thrash, who will be draft picks this season. Last season, he held his own against Marvin Mims and Zay Flowers, two guys who have had early success in the NFL.
Green was practicing against Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson, two more players likely to be selected in the first two days of the NFL Draft.
Green has a lot of upside as a player. He could be a plug-and-play starter for the Packers. There’s not much to fix about his game technique, which would allow him to give Green Bay a ton of snaps as a rookie.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein gives Green a 6.34 grade, which would project him as a plus starter one day.
Pure press-man cornerback whose inspired coverage against LSU’s talented receiving corps should carry weight in his evaluation. Green is patient to match the release and possesses good agility to recover quickly when beaten. Elite body control allows him to phase double moves and route breaks. He’s quick to close and tackle when beaten.
Physical play gets him flagged inside the route, and he doesn’t find the football often enough when routes travel downfield. He can improve in run support but is more than willing. Green might need safety help over the top, but his route tracing and catch restriction over the first two levels give him a good chance of becoming an above-average starter outside or from the slot.
The knock on Green is that his tendency to get handsy could cause him to be flagged more in the NFL. The lack of a proven ability to keep long speed could cause him to get beat over the top on times, so it would be wise early on in his career to give him safety help over the top. Luckily, the Packers just signed Xavier McKinney, a safety who is pretty darn good in coverage.
Relative Athletic Score (RAS) is important to the Packers. Green doesn’t test as an incredible athlete, but his 7.46 RAS is a solid score and meets Green Bay’s thresholds. The Packers took Jayden Reed in the second round, and his RAS was only 6.74.
The Packers also like to target guys who participated in the Senior Bowl, and Green was a standout in both the Shrine and the Senior Bowl.
Suppose Eric Stokes can return and be reliable, and Jaire Alexander can return to his All-Pro form. Then the Packers don’t have a desperate need at corner. Keisean Nixon was solid in the nickel spot, and Carrington Valentine showed promise during his rookie season.
Adding Green as another aggressive boundary corner would be a nice complement to the Packers’ secondary. Green combines what Alexander and Stokes bring and would be a welcome addition to Green Bay’s cornerback room.
He should be available in the third round and could be taken with either of Green Bay’s third-round picks. Green should be available at pick 88 or 91, and the Packers should not hesitate.
All stats and data via ESPN, PFF, and NFL unless otherwise noted.
