The Packers need reinforcements at cornerback.
With the 2024 regular season in the books, draft season is beginning to heat up. It’s now less than four months until the 2025 NFL Draft kicks off in Green Bay at the end of April.
The Packers’ season is still very much ongoing, but the front office will have already been giving plenty of thought to which players could help this roster in 2025 and beyond.
One of the most obvious areas of need this offseason is cornerback. Eric Stokes is in an impending free agent, whilst Jaire Alexander’s struggles with fitness continue to plague this defense. Alexander has played in just 34 games in four seasons and now finds himself on injured reserve after undergoing knee surgery.
With all of that in mind, the Packers will no doubt be looking at cornerback options in the 2025 NFL Draft. Here are three players they could look to target.
Shavon Revel, East Carolina
This one will be a popular pick in any mock draft you see over the next few months, and for good reason. Revel is exactly the sort of player that the Packers could use on defense. At 6-foot-3 and 193 pounds, he has great height for the position that he pairs with excellent arm length to disrupt receivers at the line in press coverage.
He’s a smooth man coverage corner, showcasing the movement skills and physicality to lock down opposing receivers. That is the sort of skillset that the Packers desperately need if they aren’t able to rely on Alexander moving forward.
His physical playstyle also showed up routinely in his run defense. Revel is one of the better run defenders and tacklers in this cornerback class, with just four misses on 71 career attempts. Revel is also the type of athlete that the Packers love to select at cornerback, running a 4.40 40-yard dash and logging an 11-foot broad jump.
If there is one concern with Revel, it is that he is coming into the draft off the back of a season-ending torn ACL. The Packers’ biggest problem at cornerback over the past few seasons has been injuries. They may not want to take that risk, though the potential payoff with Revel is huge.
Darien Porter, Iowa State
If the Packers decide to address cornerback on Day 2, they could do far worse than a player like Porter. Porter began his college career as a wide receiver, switching to cornerback ahead of the 2022 season. He finally earned a starting role in 2024 and excelled, allowing just 70 yards in coverage whilst coming up with three interceptions and two pass breakups.
Like Revel, Porter fits the mold of what the Packers want in terms of an athletic profile. He has a background as a track athlete, setting Iowa’s state record in the 400 meters and running a 10.49 in the 100 meters at just 18 years old. At 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, Porter is also one of the biggest cornerbacks in the class and his 33.5-inch arms would rank in the 96th percentile at the position.
Outside of his freakish athleticism, Porter’s biggest selling point is his ball skills. He forced an incompletion on 17% of his career targets and his wide receiver background shows up in his ability to track and high-point the football. He is also a special teams ace, with four blocked punts in his career.
The potential hang-up with Porter is his inexperience. He is still fairly new to playing cornerback and has just one year as a starter under his belt. He has actually played fewer than 700 career defensive snaps. This shows in his press technique, as well as his run defense, which needs quite a lot of work. The Packers may want someone more pro-ready, but if they are willing to develop Porter, he has the potential to be a nice contributor on defense.
Azareye’h Thomas, Florida State
Thomas isn’t getting a ton of buzz at the moment, but I expect that to change as we approach the draft. A true junior who will be just 20 years old on draft day, he already has over 1,500 career snaps to his name. At 6-foot-2 and 198 pounds with vine-like arms, he also has the size NFL teams are looking for on the boundary.
Thomas’ biggest selling point is his polish in press coverage. It is rare to see a cornerback prospect play so much press at the college level, and it has definitely allowed Thomas to refine his technique. He plays with great patience, with a smooth backpedal and an understanding of how to use his hands and footwork to blanket opposing receivers early in the route.
He has also shown that he is capable of being left on an island with opposing receivers. That man coverage skillset is definitely something that will appeal to Jeff Hafley and the Packers’ defensive staff.
As you might expect for a 20-year-old true junior, Thomas’ game still needs some refinement. His ball production has been underwhelming, and he is pretty messy as a run defender and tackler, but if you are looking for a player who can live in press and stay sticky in coverage, Thomas would be a great option.
