Getty Marquez Valdes-Scantling #83 of the Green Bay Packers works out during training camp at Ray Nitschke Field on July 29, 2021 in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin.
The Green Bay Packers are well aware that first-round rookie cornerback Eric Stokes comes equipped with blazing speed, but is he quick enough to be considered the fastest player on the Packers’ roster?
Not according to Marquez Valdes-Scanting, the team’s reigning speed demon.
Stokes — who the Packers drafted at No. 29 overall this past spring — has high expectations following him into his first NFL season as Green Bay endeavors to find a reliable No. 2 cornerback to pair with All-Pro Jaire Alexander. In terms of speed, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound rookie will be hard-pressed to find his match after clocking the fastest official 40-yard dash time (4.29 seconds) among the 2021 NFL draft class.
Stokes’ time was even faster than that of Valdes-Scantling, who clocked a 4.37 during the 2018 NFL Combine and has since been punishing NFL defense as a natural deep-threat weapon for the Packers offense. The fourth-year wide receiver averaged an NFL-leading 20.7 yards per reception during the 2020 season with a league-high six catches for 40 or more yards. But with Stokes on board, is MVS still the fastest Packer?
“Yeah, no question,” Valdes-Scantling answered without cracking a smile on Saturday, getting laughs from a room full of reporters. “No question.”
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Stokes Learning Hard Lessons in Camp
Stokes has been thrown into the fire over his first week of training-camp practice. With veteran Kevin King sidelined with a hamstring injury, the first-round rookie has been taking reps with the first-team starters and matching up against the likes of Davante Adams and MVS with reigning NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers throwing them darts.
Let’s just say it hasn’t always gone great for Stokes.
Here’s how Matt Schneidman of The Athletic described one particular play at last Friday’s practice where Adams left Stokes in his dust:
The reigning NFL MVP stood behind center. At the snap, Adams, arguably the best route runner in the league, started one way, then swiftly cut to his left toward the back corner of the end zone. After Adams completed his change of direction, Stokes was in a different zip code. Adams could have caught the touchdown blindfolded. Alas, he kept his eyes open to secure the ball in the end zone, a familiar sight for nearby defensive backs all last season.
Alexander knows the feeling of getting beat on a Rodgers-to-Adams connection. The same thing happened to him during his own rookie training camp in 2018, an experience Alexander used to correct his own mistakes and elevate his game. Now, after molding himself into an elite cornerback, he values getting to take reps every day against another one of the league’s best.
“As competitive as we are in the secondary, it’s always good for one to learn from their own mistakes, especially a young guy like Eric, who’s very talented and very competitive,” Alexander said after Friday’s practice. “I know he’ll look at that film and correct his stuff.”
Alexander added: “I mean, you gotta love going against one of the best receivers in the league every snap in camp. I just think it makes us better. Iron sharpens iron. Tae is one of the best. Whenever I can get that matchup, I’m drooling at the mouth.”