The Green Bay Packers won 11 games this past season and were actually one of the better teams in football, but they carried the misfortune of playing in the loaded NFC North. Think about this: they went 11-6 and still finished three games out of second place. Wild.
The Packers entered the offseason with some very obvious needs, one of which was at cornerback. They signed Nate Hobbs in free agency, but Jaire Alexander’s future with the club is still up in the air. With Green Bay having the 23rd overall pick in the NFL Draft, many Packers fans want them to select Texas Longhorns corner Jahdae Barron.
Considering that Barron was arguably the best defensive back in the country this past season, that’s completely understandable. He has “stud” written all over him. However, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has Green Bay going with Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka in his most recent mock draft. That’s very conceivable seeing as how the Packers do need another receiver.
But it’s what Kiper has the Minnesota Vikings doing at No. 24 (one pick after Green Bay) that may give Packers fans nightmares: he is predicting the Vikings to select Barron.
“Minnesota made some big splashes in free agency as it tries to take the NFC North from the Lions. Among them were deals to re-sign Byron Murphy Jr. and bring in Isaiah Rodgers, but I’m not sure the Vikings should — or will — be done adding to the cornerback room,” Kiper wrote.
Considering that Murphy is one of the best corners in football himself, adding Barron into the fold would make things that much more difficult for Green Bay in the most crowded division in all of football.
Of course, if the Packers do decide to part ways with Alexander, they may just nab Barron at No. 23, preventing him from falling to Minnesota. But then, there is also the possibility that the Vikings trade up for the Texas standout, so Green Bay must be on high alert here.
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