Packers finally address secondary with Jaire Alexander

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