The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2023 NFL draft.
The cornerback room was expected to be the strength of not only Green Bay’s defense, but the entire team in 2022. The group of Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes, and Rasul Douglas had the makings of one of the best cornerback rooms in the league.
Stokes struggled to replicate his rookie success before suffering a season-ending injury. Rasul Douglas failed to build off his breakout season. Alexander finished the season strong, but like the rest of the team struggled to play at an elite level consistently.
That trio will look to bounce back this season and will likely be joined by All-Pro return specialist Keisean Nixon.
With those four in place, the Packers have the foundation in place for a special cornerback room.
Just like it was heading into last season, the depth behind those four will be a concern. Expect Brian Gutekunst to add at least one cornerback to the mix this offseason.
A player that Green Bay’s general manager could target in the 2023 NFL Draft is Rejzohn Wright. The Oregon State cornerback checks in at No. 75 in the Unpacking Future Packers countdown.
A JUCO transfer and Last Chance U alum, Wright recorded 51 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions, and eight pass deflections during the 2021 season. This past season, Wright picked off two passes and broke up nine more.
The Laney College product looks the part at 6-2, 196 pounds and long arms. With his size and length, he gives the quarterback a very small window. He’s not shy about using his length at the line of scrimmage or mid-route. The Oregon State cornerback plays with a lot of confidence.
“Not to discount his coverage abilities or ball skills, but Wright’s greatest asset is arguably his physical tools,” Carter Bahns, the senior writer and editor for BeaverBlitz, said. “At 6-2, 200 lbs entering his final year at Oregon State, he boasted some of the best length at the corner position in the Pac-12 but didn’t sacrifice any strength for it. His size combined with impressive athleticism allows him to take risks that most other defensive backs can’t, and he capitalizes on that.”
Wright is fluid in his backpedal and the loose lower half to stay on top of routes. He’s got the quick feet to mirror wide receivers and stay locked in step with them. With his length, he suffocates passing lanes. He has adequate recovery speed.
According to Pro Football Focus, Wright was targeted 53 times this season and he gave up 25 catches for 302 yards and four touchdowns, with two of them coming in the final game of the season against the Oregon Ducks.
“The aforementioned physical factors make Wright a tough matchup for opposing receivers because even if he’s a half to full step behind the target, he’s still in a position to make a play on the ball,” Bahns said. “More specific to his own unique playing style, though, is his timing and calculated risk-taking. When he was acclimating to the Power Five level after transferring from the JUCO ranks, Wright at times would sell out to make a play and consequently get beat because of it. But a year or two later, that aggression began to pay off as it helped him get into passing lanes that more conservative players can’t reach.”
Over the past two seasons, Wright has had good ball production. In 25 games, Wright picked off four passes and recorded 17 pass deflections. With his long arms, he’s able to get his hands on a lot of balls. He does a good job of attacking the ball while it’s in the air and playing through the receiver’s hands at the catch point.
“He isn’t just some magnet who attracts tons of interceptions, as exemplified by his modest takeaway total over his two years as a starter at Oregon State,” Bahns said. “Wright does have solid ball skills and a propensity to reach an arm out to knock away passes that make a person wonder “How did he get to that ball?”. He led a talented Oregon State secondary in passes defended in 2021 with ten, and he added one to his 2022 total to finish with eleven. one fewer than his teammate and fellow Combine participant Alex Austin, giving him an average of just slightly under one per game. That’s not an elite mark, but it’s a solid one.”
Wright is a willing participant in run support. Wright improved as a tackler this past season cutting down on his missed tackles. According to PFF, Wright missed 18 tackles in 2021 and cut that number down to nine this past season.
There’s a play against USC, where he reads it and quickly comes downhill to tackle Jordan Addison on a wide receiver screen.
“This is an area in which Wright had to commit to improving, and to his credit, he developed into a more well-rounded player in the span of one offseason,” Bahns said. “Wright’s tackling abilities left quite a bit to be desired through the 2021 campaign, and NFL scouts told him as much when he was testing the waters a year ago. He took the advice to heart and focused on improving his technique, and as a result, he went from being a liability in run-stopping to actually making quite a few impressive tackles, including one behind the line of scrimmage in 2022. More development will be necessary, but the strides he made over the last year hint toward his ability to improve his craft quickly.”
Fit with the Packers
The Packers currently have a logjam of cornerbacks that play on the boundary and adding a player like Wright would only add to the clutter.
All it takes is one injury to create a massive need and a team can never have enough talented cornerbacks.
In 2021, the Packers lost Alexander for most of the season. This past season, it was Eric Stokes missing the majority of the season due to injury.
Adding a player with Wright’s length and athleticism would be appealing on day three of the draft.
“Wright was one of the highest-rated junior college players in the nation three years ago for a reason,” Bahns said. “He was a First Team All-Pac-12 player in 2022 for a reason. Wright has proven at multiple levels already that throwing in his direction isn’t a wise decision, and it’s only gotten tougher to move the ball against him year after year. There’s also no questioning Wright’s work ethic and ability to fight through adversity and those qualities have helped him shore up deficiencies in his game every offseason since arriving in Corvallis as a raw JUCO talent in 2020. If I’m an NFL general manager, I’m impressed by the entire package. He’s a physically gifted athlete who has years of high-level production to his name and who continues to become a more well-rounded player.”
If the Packers add a cornerback in the upcoming draft it will likely be one that has snaps playing in the slot. Over the past two seasons, Wright has logged just 47 snaps inside. His addition to the cornerback room wouldn’t seem to be a fit in Green Bay.
Having said that, competition breeds success. Both Douglas and Stokes need to be pushed. Stokes seemed to be suffering from a sophomore slump and Douglas flashed but looked nothing like the player he was in 2021.
What if those trends continue for the pair in 2023? The Packers need to have players that can step in if those two can’t find their stride.
Wright has the length and athleticism to develop into a lockdown cornerback. If he’s on the board when the Packers are on the clock in the third or fourth round, don’t be shocked if Gutekunst adds him to the mix.
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