All-NFC North Team: No First-Team Cornerbacks for Packers

In Part 9 of our All-NFC North team, the On SI team beat writers ranked the division’s cornerbacks. The Bears, in particular, will pose a major challenge for Packers quarterback Jordan Love.

Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. (7) breaks up a pass intended for Green Bay Packers receiver Romeo Doubs. | Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers do not have a top-five cornerback on the All-NFC North Team. They would have had they held onto Jaire Alexander.

The All-NFC North team was selected by On SI’s NFC North publishers, who ranked their top six cornerbacks. No. 1 got one point, No. 2 got two points and so on. Chicago Bears standout Jaylon Johnson was voted the top cornerback while the Packers’ Nate Hobbs, who was signed in free agency, wound up sixth.

Here’s the breakdown:

Chicago’s Jaylon Johnson, 7 points (two first-place votes, one second-place vote, one third-place vote); Minnesota’s Byron Murphy, 8 (one first-place vote, two second-place votes, one third-place vote); Detroit’s D.J. Reed, 9 (one first-place vote, one second-place vote, two third-place votes); Chicago’s Kyler Gordon, 15 (one second-place vote, two fourth-place votes, one fifth-place vote); Chicago’s Tyrique Stevenson, 21 (one fourth-place vote, one fifth-place vote, two sixth-place votes); Green Bay’s Nate Hobbs, 22 (two fifth-place votes, two sixth-place votes).

Had Alexander not been released by the Packers, he would have finished fifth with three fourth-place votes and one fifth-place vote for a total of 17 points.

All-NFC North Cornerbacks

Chicago’s Jaylon Johnson, a second-round pick in 2020, survived early battles with former Packers star Davante Adams and got stronger from the experience. After career highs of four interceptions and 10 passes defensed in 2023, when he was named second-team All-Pro, he had two picks and eight passes defensed in 2024 to earn back-to-back Pro Bowl honors.

“Along the way, the Bears decided he could handle top opposing receivers one-on-one and they let him go on the island,” Bears On SI’s Gene Chamberlain said. “Now, all of them will be in man-to-man coverage more often in defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s scheme and there should be no adjustment on Johnson’s end.”

Minnesota’s Byron Murphy, a second-round pick by Arizona in 2019, had five interceptions in four seasons with the Cardinals and three with the Vikings in 2023. In 2024, he had a breakout season with six interceptions and 14 passes defensed to earn his first Pro Bowl selection. He stayed with the Vikings on a three-year, $54 million contract in free agency.

Murphy is the team’s No. 1 cornerback, which is “a big deal that comes with a lot of pressure to live up to the hype in a Vikings defense that didn’t bring back veteran cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore and Shaq Griffin,” Vikings On SI’s Joe Nelson said.

Detroit lost Carlton Davis in free agency but replaced him with D.J. Reed, who inked a three-year, $48 million contract and rounds out the all-division first-team cornerbacks. In seven seasons, he has only six interceptions but has been a strong coverage player for several seasons.

“In a division with so many talented receivers, Detroit sees Reed as a potential stopper,” Lions On SI’s John Maakaron said. “He is a crafty, tough defensive back who plays physical, which makes it easy to see him fitting in seamlessly with the team’s defensive style.”

With Johnson, Kyler Gordon and Tyrique Stevenson, the Bears have three of the top five – which could make some challenging matchups for Jordan Love and the Packers.

The Packers signed Nate Hobbs in free agency to a four-year, $48 million contract. He’s hardly a household name but it’s hard to quibble with GM Brian Gutekunst’s track record in free agency.

“Even if I was a $100 million guy, in my heart of hearts, I’m an underdog, and I’m never going to forget that,” Hobbs said.

How good is he? It depends on whose numbers you’re looking at. PFF charged him with a 67.4 percent completion rate last season and 75.4 percent for his career. Sports Info Solutions charged him with 42.9 percent last season and 61.4 percent for his career.

What’s not in doubt is Hobbs’ versatility. He’s played extensively in the slot and at cornerback. For the Packers, both spots are an option. As they move forward permanently without Alexander, they could line up with Carrington Valentine and Keisean Nixon at corner and Hobbs in the slot. Or, they could go with Nixon and Hobbs at corner and Javon Bullard in the slot.

His physicality will be welcome, too, after Alexander’s toughness eroded during his final few seasons.

What’s troubling isn’t the lack of ball production – only three interceptions and 19 passes defensed in 51 career games (48 starts) – but the injuries. Hobbs missed six games in 2022, four games in 2023 and six games in 2024. That’s 16 games – almost a full season. So, did they replace one injury-prone cornerback with another?

At No. 6 in our division rankings, the Packers will need him to move up the pecking order to field a championship-caliber defense this year.

“I’m a very competitive person,” Hobbs said. “When I get out there, I’m a super-competitor. I think to make it to this level and to be an impact player, you have to be a super-competitor, but when you are a super-competitor and you’ve been bestowed with opportunity like this that I’ve had, that comes with responsibility. I think this is an opportunity for me to grow as a man, a leader, a player, father, a friend, just the man, period. So, I think I got to take that next step into my manlihood and it’s being a true leader.”

Bill Huber’s Ballot

The vote: Chicago’s Jaylon Johnson, Minnesota’s Byron Murphy, Detroit’s D.J. Reed, Chicago’s Tyrique Stevenson, Chicago’s Kyler Gordon, Green Bay’s Nate Hobbs.

Why?: Johnson is No. 1 by a mile. Murphy had a lot of interceptions last season but PFF charged him with a 70.4 percent completion rate and four touchdowns. Reed provides quality coverage and is tough but isn’t much of a playmaker.

Stevenson will live in infamy for the Bears’ Hail Mary loss at Washington, but he is an ascending cover man. Of 97 corners who played 300 coverage snaps last year, PFF ranked Stevenson fifth with a catch rate of just 53.1 percent. Johnson and Stevenson are the best tandem in the division and one of the better ones in the league.

Voting was done by Bill Huber of Packers On SI, John Maakaron of Lions On SI, Gene Chamberlain, Bears On SI and  Joe Nelson, Vikings On SI

All-NFC North Team

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