Packers Huddle

Labrev wrote: ↑

18 Jun 2023 09:52

Pckfn23 wrote: ↑

17 Jun 2023 23:16

Labrev wrote: ↑

17 Jun 2023 22:56

But also, he looked good out there last year. Sounds like they are still starting him there so far this year, and he continues to impress. He seems to have the skills for it, good enough size, and the right mentality.

He played 7 snaps on defense the last 3 weeks of the season... I guess I wouldn't peg his 2022 as a precursor to 2023.

Indeed, and that doesn't seem to bode well for Stokes, seeing as he wasn't there for most (or any?) of it, and wasn't missed

.

Not missed and changed tactics are a bit different. We definitely missed a nickel corner and Nixon was not the answer.

If memory serves, they relegated him to dimeback last season when they benched him from his starting S role, and he seemed more at-home in that role in the limited time he spent there before he was thrust back into Safety action because Ford got benched, and then Savage played better when he returned.

Good for him, but like, maybe he should just be our dime CB when we're in that alignment? Because it might be his best position. And we have enough rangy/fast guys at S now that we can do that without losing the ability to cover a lot of ground.

When he was benched he was fully benched and played 2 snaps in 3 games. He got back on the field in week 16 due to injury.

Even if Nixon is not the answer at nickel and Savage is not cut out for dime DB, it does not mean Stokes is a Top 20 player for us. As CB3 for us last year, he was one of our lowest-graded players, playing so poorly that he basically needs to prove himself all over again.

I am not a doomer on Stokes. If he can recover from the injuries without losing athleticism (not a small 'if'), he certainly has the talent and seems to have the smarts to turn things around. And if he -is- CB3, then he will have the opportunity to prove himself again, in which case, I would certainly be willing bet on him.

And yet, the injury, and reason for doubt that he will be higher than CB4/DB7 this year. And even if he clears those hurdles, maybe we could just end up discovering Year 2 is who he is. I don't think Stokes is hopeless, I just think his risks are too high and too many without any recent reason to be reassured for us to rank him in the 20s. We expected #10 last year. He played closer to ~48.