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One word to describe Jaire Alexander? Fearless. At least, that’s how Aaron Rodgers would describe the team’s star corner. Rodgers was asked about Alexander while speaking to reporters on Wednesday and spoke very highly of the Packers’ 2018 first-round draft pick.
“I think he’s a great player, I really do, I think he’s got a great disposition,” Rodgers said. “(He’s) not afraid of going up against number one receivers, which can’t be said really about every corner we’ve had around here in the past. I’m not talking about Al (Harris) or Wood (Charles Woodson), but there’s no fear in Ja.”
Alexander’s unwavering confidence is one of his greatest traits.
“I think one of the beautiful things about him as a competitor is, he doesn’t have that crippling fear of failure,” Rodgers continued. “He just believes that going out and competing and putting his best ball on the field is true success. I think that is a trait of every great competitor.”
Since coming to Green Bay, Alexander has been adamant about becoming an All-Pro corner. Through the first four games in 2020, he’s certainly looked the part while working through a gauntlet of wide receivers that includes Adam Thielen, Marvin Jones, Emmanuel Sanders, Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley.
Despite steep competition, Alexander is off to one of the best starts of his career. In four games, he’s totaled 19 tackles, two defended passes, one interception, and a sack that resulted in a safety.
According to Pro Football Focus, opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of 71.2 when targeting Alexander this season.
You could make a strong case that going up against the best also brings out the best in Alexander. In Week 4, he faced his toughest task of the year going up against Jones and Ridley. It was Jones’ first game back after suffering a hamstring injury, however, Ridley was in the midst of a three-game streak of at least 100 receiving yards.
Ridley was targeted twice with Alexander in coverage but did not have a single catch for the entire game, according to PFF. Meanwhile, Jones caught two passes and well held to just five yards before reaggravating his injury and being ruled out. It was a dominating performance against one of the best wide receiver tandems in the league. Now it’s becoming an expectation for Alexander to shut down the opposing team’s top receiver.
PFF has him as their No. 1 graded corner this season with a coverage grade of 90.8 and an overall grade of 90.9. Previously, the highest grade he received was 72.4 as a rookie
Finding consistency has been one of Alexander’s biggest hurdles during his career. This can be the case for a lot of young players and especially corners. However, things are clicking for Alexander in Year 3, helping him emerge as a true shutdown corner for the Packers.
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