The Packers drafted what they needed most: a cornerback.
But what Green Bay also got by selecting Louisville's Jaire Alexander at No. 18 overall on Thursday night is a skilled defender and kick returner.
"We think he's versatile Panthers Ian Thomas Jersey ," Packers director of scouting Jon-Eric Sullivan said. "He can run 鈥?he's a 4.3 guy. He's got really good twitch, lateral agility. So, we do think he can play inside. He's very instinctive."
In his first draft as Packers general manager, Brian Gutekunst had been eyeing Alexanders since the fall.
"He was one of those targets early on that we liked quite a bit," Gutekunst said. "All of our scouts that went into Louisville this year liked him quite a bit."
Injuries have ravaged the Green Bay cornerback position in recent years. The Packers dealt Damarious Randall to the Browns earlier in the offseason in a trade that brought backup quarterback DeShone Kizer to Green Bay. That left last year's second-round pick, Kevin King, as the Packers' top cornerback following an injury-shortened rookie year.
Veteran Tramon Williams returned as a free agent to the Packers, who also brought back Davon House. But a defense can never have too many cornerbacks in the pass-happy NFL.
The Packers feel Alexander can play in the slot and on the outside in new coordinator Mike Pettine's defense.
"I pretty much can play wherever," Alexander said.
The Packers are hoping Alexander is the playmaker they desperately need after another subpar year on defense. Alexander had a team-leading five interceptions as a sophomore in 2016. He only played in six games last season, starting five, after sustaining a knee injury. But the injury didn't scare off the Packers.
"We felt good about the whole situation," Sullivan said. "We feel good about the guy, we feel good about his durability overall. He did miss time this year, but we thought given the process through the spring and watched his workout in Indianapolis, and the guy was back to 100 percent."
Alexander was healthy at the NFL combine and turned some heads, running blazing 4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash. At only 5-foot-11 Cheap Lamar Jackson Jersey , Alexander has to use his speed to his advantage to beat bigger wide receivers.
"I definitely use speed a lot," Alexander said. "Being faster than the receiver is only half the battle, so definitely rely on my speed and technique."
Alexander's speed along with his other exception intangibles were key in the Packers taking the 21-year-old.
"He's very physical, very aggressive," Gutekunst said. "When you have a corner that lacks great height like that sometimes you start to (think), is he a nickel? Can he play inside? Can he play outside? I think all of our staff, not only our personnel staff but also our coach staff, felt really good about him playing inside and outside. He's a dynamic, explosive athlete."
As a kick returner, Alexander had 20 returns for 210 yards and a touchdown as a sophomore. He'll compete with Trevor Davis for the Packers' starting return position.
Green Bay entered Thursday night with the No. 14 pick, but Gutekunst acquired the Saints' first-round pick (No. 27), a fifth-round pick (No. 147) and the team's first-round selection in 2019. Then the Packers moved up to No. 18 and also received the No. 248 pick in the seventh round and gave Seattle the No. 27 pick, a third-rounder (No. 76) and a sixth-rounder (No. 186).
Gutekunst noted that Alexander "was in consideration" for the Packers to select him at No. 14, but when the Saints called with a trade offer, it was too good to pass up.
"We got to 14, we had a number of players that we felt were similar value and that's what one of the decisions to moving back Jarvis Landry Jersey Elite ," Gutekunst said.
Green Bay has 11 picks remaining in the final two days of the draft. It will have just one on Friday, No. 45. The Packers' brass will be busy on Saturday: fourth round selections Nos. 101 and 133; fifth round Nos. 138, 147, 172 and 174; sixth round No. 207; and seventh round Nos. 232, 239 and 248.
Pittsburgh Steelers starting left guard Ramon Foster’s right knee injury isn’t as bad as initially feared.
Foster was injured Saturday and left the team’s first padded practice of training camp on a golf cart. Head coach Mike Tomlin said Sunday that Foster had his knee evaluated and the injury won’t require surgery.
Tomlin offered no additional details on the injury or a timetable on Foster’s recovery, but team president Art Rooney II said the Steelers are hopeful to have Foster back in time for the regular season.
Regardless, it appears as if the Steelers won’t lose their starting left guard for an extended period of time.
”I never speculate,” Tomlin said. ”I’m always hopeful, (and) I was that. So, we got relatively good news.”
The Steelers’ offensive line depth took a hit in the spring when they lost former fourth-round pick Jerald Hawkins to a torn quadriceps.
It didn’t look good for the Steelers when their most seasoned member of the offensive line went down on Saturday. Foster lay on the grass, holding his right knee after Landry Jones tossed an incomplete pass to Antonio Brown.
”It’s always a tough moment when someone goes down, especially in practice,” left tackle Alejandro Villanueva said.
Ben Roethlisberger was on one knee next to Foster, while injured linebacker Ryan Shazier and other teammates gathered.
”Ramon is a key guy and a key figure on this team,” guard B.J. Finney said. ”I think it did kind of jolt everybody, but it made everybody realize that you’re only one play away from playing.”
Foster Youth Lorenzo Carter Jersey , who enters his 10th season, has been a consistent force on the offensive line.
He has appeared in 130 games with 115 starts since 2009, most on the team during that span. Some players looked visibly shaken on the field as a steady stream of veterans, including the starting offensive line, checked in on Foster before he left practice on a cart.
”Everybody loves Ramon and everybody wants him back,” Finney said. ”But it’s the mentality that the next guy’s gotta come up and we’ve gotta keep things going.”
That’s where Finney steps in. Finney might not be a household name, but he has been effective with the Steelers.
Finney, who enters his third season, has appeared in 27 games with seven starts, including four last season. He started for Foster at left guard Oct. 15 against Kansas City, and helped Le’Veon Bell rush for 179 yards, tied for the 10th-most single-game rushing yards in team history.
”B.J.’s got experience, which is key in this league,” right guard David DeCastro said. ”He’s played some big snaps for us.”
In his first career start at left guard in 2016, Finney was part of an offensive line that helped Bell rush for 144 yards and Roethlisberger throw for 300 yards and five touchdowns. That same season, he started for Foster at Buffalo and helped Bell rush for a team-record 236 yards.
”I don’t want the other guys to suffer from me coming in Cheap Sam Hubbard Jersey , so my mentality is to always make sure I’m not going to bring everybody down or hold anybody up,” Finney said.
Finney landed a spot with the Steelers after signing as an undrafted rookie free agent. It was a similar story in college as Finney was a walk-on at Kansas State, and finished as one of just three players in school history to earn all-conference honors four straight years.
Finney has proven reliable in Pittsburgh at both guard spots and center.
”It’s not a new thing for me, so I know that I can play at this level and I can do a good job filling in when I have to,” Finney said.
Finney is going to have to fill in as the Steelers starting left guard, at least until Foster returns.
”It’s really tough,” DeCastro said of Foster’s injury. ”A guy that’s been here that long, and part of the group that we have, it’s difficult, but luckily it’s not too bad and he’ll be back.”
NOTES: S Morgan Burnett missed his third practice with a hamstring injury. … WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (undisclosed), OLB T.J. Watt (hamstring), TE Vance McDonald (foot), S Sean Davis (groin), and LB Olasunkanmi Adeniyi all left Sunday’s practice early.
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