Packers Get King-Sized Replacement in Yahoo Mock Draft
GREEN BAY, Wis. – It takes more than one cornerback to field a winning defense in today’s NFL. More than that, it takes more than one style of cornerback.
With 24-year-old Jaire Alexander, the Packers have one of the best cornerbacks in the business. Alexander is a fearless defender who’s never backed down from a challenge. But, at just a shade over 5-foot-10, there are natural matchup problems against the league’s taller receivers.
The Packers thought had that guy with 6-foot-3 Kevin King. However, after a breakout third season in 2019 in which he finished among the NFL leaders with five interceptions and 15 passes defensed, he reverted back to his injury-prone, inconsistent ways. King is headed to free agency. Unless it’s the bargain of a lifetime, the Packers might have little interest in bringing him back.
To replace him, general manager Brian Gutekunst might be enticed by Syracuse’s Ifeatu Melifonwu. He went to Green Bay at No. 29 of Eric Edholm’s mock draft at Yahoo.
In three seasons that included 19 starts, he had three interceptions and 26 passes defensed. He was second-team all-ACC in 2020.
“Melifonwu has the size (nearly 6-foot-3 and nearly 215 pounds) to be a natural Kevin King replacement and lock down a starting job outside. If the Packers are going to be more of a zone-heavy defense under Joe Barry, then adding a Seattle-style corner makes a lot of sense” Edholm wrote as part of his reasoning.
He also was the first-round projection in a three-round mock authored by NFL.com’s Chad Reuter.
