Eric Stokes - CB - Georgia - Round 1 - Pick 29

[YoHoChecko]

Gutey says after the two CBs went in the top ten they weren't sure they could get Stokes. Classic GM speak but noteworthy, as well

Also says they had the options and probably would trade back had Stokes gone off the board ahead of them.

[go pak go]

I feel the same way with this pick as I felt about King. Had he not had such great testing number he is probably a 3rd round guy. Super sloppy player in my opinion.

If you can coach technique into him hes a good pick but to me sloppy CB play stays sloppy. Time will tell.

Doesn't give up touchdowns. Has some of the best production in college football. Has amazing atheleticsm and character.

Are "scouts" just getting nitpicky and trying to knock a player to be cute? I am trying to find knocks on him outisde of "panics" and can get "grabby".

But the production seems to be there.

[lupedafiasco]

[Drj820]

I feel the same way with this pick as I felt about King. Had he not had such great testing number he is probably a 3rd round guy. Super sloppy player in my opinion.

If you can coach technique into him hes a good pick but to me sloppy CB play stays sloppy. Time will tell.

Doesn't give up touchdowns. Has some of the best production in college football. Has amazing atheleticsm and character.

Are "scouts" just getting nitpicky and trying to knock a player to be cute? I am trying to find knocks on him outisde of "panics" and can get "grabby".

But the production seems to be there.

This is a real knock: he got run over a lot and didn’t tackle well. Wasn’t a physical player in the run game.

Not sure how that will affect him, or if he can improve on it...but like Wally said, he does pop off the screen. He does make plays. He was a leader of the defense, but he did get picked on in big games in terms of teams running toss plays right at him and you see him on his back.

[Scott4Pack]

One feature that I still want more of on our D is SPEED. Stokes surely has that.

[bud fox]

Ahmad Carroll or Sam Shields? Hopefully the latter.

Don't really care much because as people here say draft picks don't play as rookies.

[British]

Last time we had a speedster at CB like Sam Shields we won a Superbowl.

Last year's NFCCG was lost, in part, because of poor play at boundary CB.

Feels like the Packers got better today.

[Scott4Pack]

To follow what British said, I don’t know any way that we can criticize this pick. It was a position of need. This guy has tools and a high ceiling.

Oh yeah, some druthers would’ve picked a different guy, or “we didn’t give Aaron Rodgers another weapon” stuff.

This was a very good pick. I’m happy with it.

[Drj820]

It would be sweet if this was the last time we go CB in RD 1 or 2 for while. I do agree that this pick could potentially significantly delay having to do that.

[paco]

already like this kid. He had a tweet years ago about not liking Brady, but I can't find it this morning.

[paco]

Here it is.

[Waldo]

Look at it this way, when Stokes catches the ball for Rodgers, its way more valuable than when a WR does.

[NCF]

Here it is.

And now I love him.

[RingoCStarrQB]

Fully support the pick. His speed and height is intriguing. Let's see if Stokes and Jaire can improve the D's 3rd down conversion performance. His tackling can't be any worse than what we saw in 2020.

Hey Gutey, DL and OL next please.

[BF004]

He reminds me of Jamal Williams honestly, personality. Would love to get those two in a room, good vibes only.

[Half Empty]

Who is that Tennessee guy who comes across the field at the end? That's some speed.

[YoHoChecko]

McGinn hasn't published his fuller "what the scouts say" on this pick yet, but for a sampling, here's what he put in his DB rankings from scouts a few days ago:

8. Eric Stokes, Georgia (6-foot-0½, 194, 4.31, Round 2): Third-year junior with 25 starts in 36 games.

“I like him, but he has worse ball skills than (Tyson) Campbell,” one scout said. “He had more interceptions than Campbell, so the ball might find him, but he’ll never be a natural at (picking off passes).”

Finished with 78 tackles (two for loss), four picks and 26 PBUs.

“He’s a starter,” said another scout. “He just doesn’t take the ball away the way other guys do.”

Ran the fastest 40 of the group. In fact, he was a state-champion sprinter in high school in Covington, Ga., clocking 10.39 seconds in the 100 meters.

“He needs to improve his ball skills,” a third scout said. “The height/weight/speed are going to be too hard to pass up.”

A fourth scout said Stokes brought to mind cornerback Stanford Routt, the 38th pick in the 2005 draft by the Raiders.

“He’s stiff,” he said. “He’s a track guy playing football.”

[Pckfn23]

I didn't post it because frankly that entire thing makes no sense at all.

To say he has worse ball skills than Campbell is asinine. Campbell had 1 INT his entire college career. Campbell had 10 PBUs his entire college career. Eric Stokes has 4 INTs and 23 PBUs as a bulldog.

He doesn't take the ball away like the other guys do? What other guys?!

The entire things reads as if these guys never say 2020 film...

[Yoop]

as soon as I read the stuff about tight hips, and that he rarely plays squared up I moved on to other prospects for our CB needs, we took Keven KIng based on speed, he to had a pre draft profile that spoke of these flaws, hopefully stokes can over come them.

[Pckfn23]

He doesn't take the ball away like the other guys do? What other guys?!

Let me expand on this.

Surtain - 4 INTs total, 2 in 2019
Horn - 2 INTs total, 2 in 2020
Farley - 6 INTs total, 4 in 2019
Newsome - 1 INT total, 1 in 2020
Samuel - 3 INTs total, 2 in 2020
Stokes - 4 INTs total, 4 in 2020

How in the $%@# can anyone say he doesn't take the ball away like the other guys do?

So one might say he just doesn't make plays on the ball.
Career PBUs:
Surtain - 24
Horn - 23
Farley - 19
Newsome - 20
Samuel - 29
Stokes - 22