Tag: Carrington Valentine

Packers rookie CB Carrington Valentine enjoys ‘great day’ at OTAs

Seventh-round pick Carrington Valentine was one of the standouts for the Packers during Tuesday’s practice.

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Seventh-round pick Carrington Valentine enjoyed what coach Matt LaFleur called a “great day” during the Green Bay Packers’ eighth practice of the offseason workout program.

Valentine, the 232nd overall pick out of Kentucky, broke up a pair of passes against Jordan Love while covering starting wide receiver Romeo Doubs in a red zone period on Tuesday.

“I thought ‘CV’ has done an unbelievable job,” LaFleur said. “You can really see the body movement skills that he possesses, and he’s been working hard. I think there’s been some great lessons along the way, but he’s a guy that certainly has the talent. It’s going to be on him to put it all together and go out there and do it in the preseason.”

Valentine led Kentucky with 10 pass breakups in 12 games last season. According to PFF, he allowed 36 catches on 65 targets over 375 coverage snaps in 2022, and he intercepted one pass but also dropped three other potential interceptions.

In Green Bay, Valentine will get a chance to stick on the 53-man roster as a backup corner who can develop within the defense.

Opportunities arrived right away for the rookie.

With Jaire Alexander and Rasul Douglas absent and Eric Stokes still recovering from last season’s injuries, young players like Valentine, Shemar Jean-Charles and Corey Ballentine are getting first-team reps at cornerback.

“Can’t put a value on (the extra reps). They are so important,” LaFleur said.

The first-team reps are especially important for a rookie like Valentine, who switched to cornerback as a junior in high school and has only been playing the position for a handful of seasons.

Can the seventh-rounder translate a standout start to the offseason workout program into a strong performance during training camp and preseason games? That’s the next step for Valentine, a talented rookie who is making plays at OTAs.

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Green Bay Packers 2023 seventh-round pick: CB Carrington Valentine

The Green Bay Packers selected Kentucky cornerback Carrington Valentine in the seventh round (No. 232 overall) of the 2023 NFL draft.

The Green Bay Packers selected Kentucky cornerback Carrington Valentine in the seventh round (No. 232 overall) of the 2023 NFL draft.

Height: 6-0
Weight: 193
Age: 21
From: Cincinnati, OH

Breakdown: Ascending, aggressive corner with length who is still learning how to play the positon. Led Kentucky in pass breakups in 2022. Tons of special teams snaps over three seasons. Explosive jumper (39″ vertical, 10-8 broad). Likely perimeter cornerback who needs development pathway before seeing the field.

Brugler’s scouting report: “A two-year starter at Kentucky, Valentine was the boundary cornerback in defensive coordinator Brad White’s zone-heavy scheme. Still relatively new to the position after moving to corner as a junior in high school, his 2022 tape was a tad volatile, with plenty of flashes mixed in with some mistake-filled games. Valentine has an enticing blend of physical tools and physicality that fits the mold of what NFL teams want at the position. But he will lose route phase/positioning because of his lack of refinement (allowed eight completions of 25-plus yards in 2022), and his one career interception is a troubling stat. Overall, Valentine is long, aggressive and athletic and has yet to reach his ceiling as a cover man, but his ball instincts and technique are underdeveloped, making his draft grade much more of a projection than others. He projects best as a long-limbed press corner.”

Zierlein’s scouting report: “Valentine has the physical traits necessary for the NFL but the instincts and body control to extend his coverage against quality route runners leaves something to be desired. He’s solid at crowding vertical throws and can play press-and-bail, but he has had coverage busts in zone. Also, he bites too easily on double moves. Valentine’s lack of aggression as a run defender could make it tougher for zone teams to give him a chance.”

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Packers select Kentucky CB Carrington Valentine at No. 232 overall in seventh round of 2023 draft

The Green Bay Packers selected Kentucky cornerback Carrington Valentine at No. 232 overall in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL draft.

The Green Bay Packers selected Kentucky cornerback Carrington Valentine at No. 232 overall in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL draft.

Valentine produced 119 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, one forced fumble, 17 pass breakups and one interception over 35 games and 25 starts. He led Kentucky in pass breakups (11) in 2022.

At the combine, Valentine (5-11, 193) hit 39″ in the vertical leap and covered 10-8 in the broad jump. He ran 4.44 and finished the short shuttle in 4.15 seconds at Kentucky’s pro day. His Relative Athletic Score is 9.30 out of 10.0.

The Packers will make four picks in the seventh round.

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Rams 2023 Draft Prospect Profile: Carrington Valentine (CB, Kentucky)

Carrington Valentine out of Kentucky is an intriguing Day 3 CB prospect the Rams could take during the 2023 NFL draft.

The Los Angeles Rams are thin at a few positions on the defensive side of the ball. Following the trade of Jalen Ramsey this offseason, the Rams will likely look to select at least one cornerback during the 2023 NFL draft.

With Ramsey now playing for the Miami Dolphins, the current cornerback depth chart for the Rams features Cobie Durant, Robert Rochell, and Derion Kendrick in starting roles. According to Pro Football Reference, those three cornerbacks have a combined 12 starts in their careers.

Assuming the Rams take a cornerback during this year’s draft, Carrington Valentine would be a solid Day 3 selection.

Commanders recently met with a pair of Kentucky defensive backs

Washington continues to explore cornerback options ahead of the NFL draft.

You can’t say the Washington Commanders haven’t done their due diligence for secondary help ahead of next week’s 2023 NFL draft.

The Commanders have hosted multiple cornerbacks on top 30 visits, had virtual meetings, formal combine sessions and meetings at the Senior Bowl with multiple draft-eligible defensive backs.

You can add two more recent meetings to Washington’s pre-draft list. A pair of University of Kentucky defensive backs, Carrington Valentine [virtual] and Keidron Smith [top 30 visit], met with the Commanders.

Valentine has intriguing talent. He has decent size and length, in addition to athleticism. There are concerns, as he’s not been very good in run support, and his game is still raw. Valentine should go somewhere in the fourth round or later.

The Commanders also hosted Valentine’s teammate, Keidron Smith, recently.

Smith continues the trend of big cornerbacks Washington has met with. At 6-foot-2, Smith is long and has plenty of experience playing in man and zone schemes, which will make Washington’s coaches happy. Before transferring to Kentucky, Smith played four seasons at Ole Miss.

Both Kentucky cornerbacks would be good additions on day three of the NFL draft.

Kentucky CB Carrington Valentine had virtual meeting with Cardinals

Valentine is a 6-foot cornerback with speed. He has met virtually with at least six teams, including the Cardinals.

The Arizona Cardinals, like all NFL teams, have been taking weeks of player evaluations for the 2023 NFL draft. That includes visiting with individual players, whether it is at their school, at the combine, hosting or meeting with them virtually.

One player the Cardinals have met with virtually is Kentucky cornerback Carrington Valentine.

Valentine told Justin Melo of The Draft Network that he had met virtually with six teams, including the Cardinals.

Valentine is 6 feet tall and weighed 193 pounds at the combine. He posted a 39-inch vertical leap and a 10-foot-8 broad jump. He ran the 40 at his pro day in 4.38 seconds. While he only posted 9 bench press reps of 225 pounds, he has added 13 pounds of muscle in predraft training.

He had an interception and 10 pass breakups last season for Kentucky, in addition to 48 tackles, a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss.

Playing in the SEC, there is plenty of tape of him having to guard some of the best receivers in the nation.

He has great athletic traits but probably will be, at the earliest, someone who gets drafted on Day 3.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Bengals hosted Kentucky CB Carrington Valentine on pre-draft visit

Bengals keeping an eye on local prospects at positions of need.

The Cincinnati Bengals have eyes on a local prospect ahead of the 2023 NFL draft.

According to Justin Melo of The Draft Network, the Bengals had an in-person visit with Kentucky Wildcats cornerback Carrington Valentine.

Valentine, 6’0″ and 193 pounds, projects nicely as a man-coverage defender who might be able to line up against bigger threats like tight ends, similar to how the team used Tre Flowers, who remains a free agent.

Cincinnati attacking cornerback in the draft isn’t a new theory by any means. Even after signing Sidney Jones, Eli Apple is still a free agent and depth going into the opener remains a concern.

When the draft rolls around, the Bengals might just keep it local to fix some of the depth concerns.

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Commanders showing interest in Kentucky cornerback

Carrington Valentine’s stock is on the rise.

The Washington Commanders continue to evaluate multiple cornerbacks ahead of the 2023 NFL draft.

With a major need at the position, cornerback is in play for the Commanders with their first-round pick at No. 16 overall. The top cornerbacks, Christian Gonzalez [Oregon], Devon Witherspoon [Illinois] and Joey Porter Jr. [Penn State], could all be gone by the time the Commanders choose.

There are other potential first-round cornerbacks, such as Cam Smith [South Carolina], Deonte Banks [Maryland] and DJ Turner [Michigan], but the Commanders are evaluating multiple options throughout the draft.

One such player is Kentucky cornerback Carrington Valentine. According to Ryan Roberts of Sports Illustrated and RiseNDraft, the Commanders are one of several teams to show an interest in Valentine.

Valentine has solid size and is a good athlete with long arms. He is also a two-year starter in the SEC. He is physical and aggressive and not afraid to mix it up in the run game. Valentine was also a member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll on multiple occasions. We know Washington head coach Ron Rivera loves smart, versatile players who are strong culture fits, which sounds like Valentine.

If Washington can’t land one of the draft’s top cornerbacks, perhaps selecting Valentine sometime on day two is an option.

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