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GREEN BAY, Wis. – Eric Stokes involves the Inexperienced Bay Packers with peak and velocity. That’s good. He additionally comes with arms. And that’s not at all times good.
On the College of Georgia, the cornerback was responsible of six pass-interference penalties the previous two seasons. Of the primary 15 cornerbacks off the board within the 2021 NFL Draft, that was the second-most.
“It’s not a priority to me,” defensive backs coach Jerry Grey mentioned of Stokes’ general handsy play. “I believe quite a lot of instances whenever you have a look at guys who actually don’t know the right way to press and regulate their velocity, they have a tendency to seize.”
If determined instances name for determined measures, Grey has a hands-on option to train hands-off protection.
“I’ve obtained a few issues that I’ve carried out previously,” Grey mentioned. “I’ve put boxing gloves on guys. Guess what? You’ll be able to’t seize then, so it’s important to learn to cowl along with your toes. That’s one of many issues that I did. If I can get the identical factor that I did after I was in Minnesota with Xavier (Rhodes), then the sky’s the restrict. That’s the one factor that younger guys are going to battle in the beginning as a result of they’re used to grabbing, and I’ve obtained to create a brand new behavior that, ‘Hey, look, it’s important to be taught to cowl along with your toes and your arms are additional.’ As soon as they notice, they turn into higher soccer gamers.”
An space scout blamed the penalties on “the lack of confidence in his ball skills” and believed that a part of his sport may very well be improved. Of word, there was enchancment from a player who’s still relatively new to the position, with 4 pass-interference calls in 2019 and two in 2020. Nevertheless, the little pulls and tugs have been throughout Stokes’ movie.
The problem gained’t solely be with Stokes. Of all drafted cornerbacks, fifth-round decide Shemar Jean-Charles was responsible of essentially the most pass-interference penalties in 2019 (seven) and general (10 the final two seasons).
It is going to be as much as Grey to determine the right way to eradicate what former NFL and school coach Jim Mora Jr. referred to as “DB panic mode.”
“They really feel like they’re about to get beat, in order that they begin to seize and so they begin to attain and so they begin to shove,” Mora said before the draft. “You’ve obtained to drill the second of fact – ‘right here comes the ball’ – till the purpose the place they turn into very assured of their capacity to react the immediately.
“I believe you coach it out of them by way of creating the best mind-set. However I believe there’s at all times only a sliver of it in there and on the incorrect time it might probably come again to hang-out you. I’ve had that occur earlier than in huge video games. Actually good corners that you simply noticed that flaw and it went away for some time after which it got here again. That’s robust to beat. That’s one of many issues that separates the good ones from the nice ones at any stage and particularly on the NFL stage.”
Go Interference the Final Two Seasons
Courtesy Sports activities Data Options. First 15 cornerbacks drafted. (2020 in parentheses)
No. 8 – Jaycee Horn, Carolina: 5 (3).
No. 9 – Patrick Surtain, Denver: 4 (0).
No. 22 – Caleb Farley, Tennessee: 4 (decide out).
No. 26 – Greg Newsome, Cleveland: 7 (3).
No. 29 – Eric Stokes, Georgia: 6 (2).
No. 33 – Tyson Campbell, Jacksonville: 3 (3).
No. 44 – Kelvin Joseph, Dallas: 2 (2). (DNP/switch 2019)
No. 47 – Asante Samuel, L.A. Chargers: 5 (4).
No. 71 – Aaron Robinson, N.Y. Giants: 5 (2).
No. 74 – Benjamin St-Juste, Washington: 4 (1).
No. 76 – Paulson Adebo, New Orleans: 1 (decide out).
No. 99 – Nashon Wright, Dallas: Not accessible.
No. 100 – Elijah Molden, Tennessee: 1 (0).
No. 101 – Ifeatu Melifonwu, Detroit: 5 (4).
No. 102 – Ambry Thomas, San Francisco: 1 (decide out).
Extra Than 40 Tales on the Inexperienced Bay Packers’ Rookie Class
First round: Georgia CB Eric Stokes
More Stokes: Blown away by more than 40 time
More Stokes: Mixed message from scouts
Second round: Ohio State C Josh Myers
More Myers: Stands tall in strong center class
Third round: Clemson WR Amari Rodgers
More Rodgers: Gutekunst loses trade but wins player he coveted
More Rodgers: Short trend snapped
More Rodgers: What scouts said
More Rodgers: His amazing comeback from a torn ACL
Fourth round: Ole Miss OL Royce Newman
Fifth round: Florida DT Tedarrell Slaton
Fifth round: Appalachian State CB Shemar Jean-Charles
More Jean-Charles: In-Depth Stats
More Jean-Charles: What scouts said
Sixth round: Wisconsin OL Cole Van Lanen
More Van Lanen: In-Depth Stats
More Van Lanen: What sounds said
Sixth round: Boston College LB Isaiah McDuffie
More McDuffie: What sounds said
Seventh round: Mississippi State RB Kylin Hill
Undrafted: The biggest position steal in the league?
Undrafted: Scouting opinions on all seven signings
Undrafted: Wisconsin OL Jon Dietzen
Undrafted: San Jose State WR Bailey Gaither
Undrafted: San Diego State OL Jacob Capra
Undrafted: Michigan OLB Carlo Kemp
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