The Green Bay Packers selected cornerback Jaire Alexander out of Louisville with the 18th pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft after a trade with the Seattle Seahawks.
The Packers sent the No. 27, No. 76, and No. 186 picks in exchange for No. 18 and No. 248.
Alexander is a much-needed addition for the Packers, whose issues in the secondary have been the team's Achilles' heel in recent years.
The standout corner battled through a knee injury in 2017 and his play suffered as a result, but he should immediately improve Green Bay's 23rd-ranked pass defense.
Jaire Alexander Bio
Position: CB
School: Louisville
College Experience: Junior
Height: 5-11
Weight: 192 lbs
Strengths
- Does a great job of jarring the ball out of his opponent's hands and frequently disrupts catches.
- Excellent at sticking with routes and making timely plays on the ball.
- Displays excellent footwork and straight-line speed.
- Excellent recovery speed which allows him to make up for mistakes.
- Does a great job of pressuring quarterbacks into errors, then circles back to the ball.
- Although he's undersized, can beat up receivers at the line of scrimmage.
- Has excelled against top competition throughout his collegiate career.
Weaknesses
- Doesn't appear willing to help in run support.
- Undersized for an NFL cornerback and could be exploited by larger receivers at the next level.
- His physical nature could see him penalized more often in the NFL.
Athletic testing
| Event | Result |
|---|---|
| 40-yard Dash | 4.38 sec |
| Bench Press | 14 reps |
| Vertical Jump | 35 inches |
| Broad Jump | 127 inches |
| 3-Cone Drill | 6.71 sec |
| 20-yd Shuttle | 3.98 sec |
