New Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon hasn’t had his introductory press conference yet, and might not for a while since the NFL scouting combine player arrivals start today. Whenever he does get in front of the press for the first time, I bet you’ll hear that the defense he wants to deploy will be aggressive, fast and versatile, because it’s what every single defensive coordinator says in his introductory press conference. It might be mandatory to fill the position in the league.
The truth of the matter is that Gannon’s defenses, over two stops and five years, have played more Cover 4/Quarters than any other team in the league over this time. Do I think the front could be versatile? Yes, he sends sim pressures (four-man rushers with different players dropping or blitzing) a good amount of the time and played a 4-3 front in Philadelphia but a 3-4 front in Arizona. Ultimately, though, he wants to be able to play quarters and the change-ups are to protect that quarters-based structure.
Playing quarters means that the cornerbacks are usually going to be in off coverage positions and the outside receivers will rarely get rerouted. What does that mean? Green Bay’s cornerbacks are going to need to run really fast because they’re basically playing man coverage after about five yards, from off-coverage positions, with receivers allowed to build up steam early.
For some evidence in this direction, let’s take a look at Gannon’s most-played outside cornerbacks (per NFL Pro, the league’s player-tracking service) in his three years with Arizona.
Jonathan Gannon Cornerbacks
- Starling Thomas: 679 snaps (4.38-second 40-yard dash)
- Max Melton: 567 (4.39)
- Will Johnson: 416 (didn’t run, estimated 4.42 by NFL Draft Scout)
- Kei’Trel Clark: 401 (4.42)
- Sean Murphy-Bunting: 385 (4.42)
- Denzel Burke: 370 (4.48)
- Antonio Hamilton: 222 (4.46)
For the first two years in Arizona, Gannon’s team had few assets, so it’s not like they were playing with a full deck there, but he still went out of his way to make sure that the cornerbacks could run. If we presume that Will Johnson runs a 4.42-second 40-yard dash, as NFL Draft Scout predicted pre-draft, then his seven most-played cornerbacks over three years averaged out to having a 4.42 speed, a number that all five of his most-played corners were able to hit.
We’ve talked about it before in previous articles, but I believe that the premier ability that the Packers should be looking for (if the front office and coaching staff are aligned) in cornerbacks moving forward will be their click-and-close ability, because it will be stressed in a quarters-based system.
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So, who are those click-and-close cornerbacks in the upcoming draft? Let’s take a look at top-150 cornerback prospects on the consensus draft board, first hitting on guys who probably won’t be Green Bay Packers. I promise we’ll get to guys who are good fits for the team later on. We have to eat our vegetables first, though.
Probably Won’t Be There at #52
- #11: Mansoor Delane, LSU
- #14: Jermod McCoy, Tennessee
- #21: Avieon Terrell, Clemson
- #32: Colton Hood, Tennessee
- #33: Brandon Cisse, South Carolina
Projected top-40 players are just rarely available with the 52nd overall pick, unless there are off-field or injury question marks, which the Packers typically avoid anyway. I don’t think these five will be there when Green Bay is on the clock for the first time. If they are, great. I’m just not holding my breath.
As an example, when the Packers were on the clock with the 23rd overall pick, only four projected top-20 picks were even still available: Shedeur Sanders (one of the oddest draft cases ever), Will Johnson (who had big-time injury concerns), Mike Green (who had several sexual assault accusations) and Matthew Golden. Green Bay went with Golden. The consensus board is pretty efficient (at least early), once you accept that quarterbacks, injury question player and off-field question players are where the majority of the wonkiness comes into play on draft day.
Slot Defenders, Not Cornerbacks
- #55: Keionte Scott, Miami
- #96: Treydan Stukes, Arizona
- #143: Jadon Canady, Oregon
These players are ranked on the consensus board’s top-150 as cornerbacks, but they were already slot-only players at the college level, not exactly what the Packers are looking for with Javon Bullard and Nate Hobbs already on the team and former slot cornerback Keisean Nixon playing outside cornerback. Safety and 2024 draft pick Kitan Oladapo also dabbled in the slot last year and looked the part. You might see South Carolina’s Jalon Kilgore listed as a cornerback by some (but as a safety for most), and he’s another slot defender.
In general, the Packers should be in the outside cornerback market this offseason, considering the only meaningful one they have under contract through 2027 is Hobbs, not the slot defender market. Maybe that changes if Hobbs is moved on from at the start of the new league year.
Probably Too Small
- #47: Keith Abney II, Arizona State (5095, 185 – estimated NFL Draft Scout)
- #60: D’angelo Ponds, Indiana (5085, 173 – estimated NFL Draft Scout)
- #83: Malik Muhammad, Texas (5117, 183 – Senior Bowl)
- #97: Chandler Rivers, Duke (5093, 185 – Senior Bowl)
Since Mike Sherman left Green Bay, the Packers haven’t drafted a cornerback under 5’10” or 194 pounds in the top-150, and their average player at the position in this range has been north of 6’0” and 197 pounds. I would be surprised if these guys were on their board at all, but Texas’ Malik Muhammad might be an exception I’d be willing to make because he does have good movement skills and is just light, not light and short.
The Rest of the Top-150 (and Their 40-Yard Dash Estimates)
- #46: Chris Johnson, San Diego State (4.43)
- #70: Davison Igbinosun, Ohio State (4.49)
- #87: Devin Moore, Florida (4.54)
- #92: Julian Neal, Arkansas (4.59)
- #98: Will Lee III, Texas A&M (4.43)
- #107: Daylen Everette, Georgia (4.47)
- #147: Tacario Davis, Washington (4.49)
This is what the top-150 cornerbacks look like once you take into account 1) players who probably won’t be there when Green Bay picks, 2) players who play the slot, not outside cornerback and 3) players who don’t meet the team’s size specs that they’ve used for over two decades.
The estimated 40-yard-dash times are from NFL Draft Scout. Hopefully, all of these guys run in Indianapolis, so we can put their speed questions to rest at the combine.
After watching these players’ film, I think that Ohio State’s Davison Igbinosun will run faster than his projection (I’d bet he’s closer to the 4.3s than the 4.5s) and that Washington’s Tacario Davis and maybe San Diego State’s Chris Johnson will run a little slower. Otherwise, these numbers look to be in the right ballpark. For what it’s worth, some scouts think that Florida’s Devin Moore is faster than that projection, but that projection looks right to me, based on film. I guess we’re going to find out soon.
Another guy I can see running in the “Gannon range” is Alabama’s Domani Jackson, who is not listed in the top-150 (#187), since his stock has slipped a bit. Jackson is a good click and close cornerback with good movement skills (former five-star recruit who holds the California state record for the 100-meter dash), but he dealt with a rib injury this past year and apparently did not do great at the Shrine Bowl (according to both media and scouts there, I didn’t make the trip). The combine will be a big opportunity for him.
To me, the corners who fit the Packers’ scheme the best will be Igbinosun, Lee, Johnson, Jackson and Everette. If Moore runs well, throw him into the mix as well (and his stock should shoot to the roof).
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So if you’re watching the combine this week, keep an eye on the cornerbacks’ 40-yard dash times. They will be important in this system. They should be important for the front office tasked with finding cornerbacks for this defense. If you want my thoughts on how these top-150 cornerbacks fit in with the Packers’ defense, I wrote up my preview of the position a week ago, after reviewing at least three games of their final seasons of college ball.