Eric Stokes

Stokes is an athletic corner that brings both man and zone coverage capabilities. He's smooth in man coverage and able to stick with bigger and smaller receivers alike, for the most part. Has a tendency to allow the receiver to dictate the terms and then he's caught trailing often. Good in zone coverage and is constantly reading the QBs eyes. Once the QB releases the ball, he's able to flip and drive to the ball. Good hip fluidity, but it might be too fast for his feet. Is consistently seen falling to the ground in man or zone coverage when a receiver makes a sharp cut. Decent ball skills to be able to get a hand in at the last second and read the receivers' eyes, but struggles to get his head turned around to locate the football. Had a couple of penalties on tape due to this area. Non-willing participant in run support or tackling. Tends to stand still and wait for the contact to come versus driving and mixing it up with the ball-carrier. Great straight line speed and was able to stick with Devonta Smith frequently deep downfield. Could struggle if let on an island for too long, but has the speed, strength, and flexibility to match up with a wide variety of players. Most likely a Day 2 pick.

Eric Stokes selected No. 29 by Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers have selected defensive back Eric Stokes with the No. 29 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Fantasy Impact

The Packers elect not to help Aaron Rodgers' receiving corps with this pick. Instead, they choose the Georgia product in Stokes, who is tall and twitchy with long arms. A cerebral defender, Stokes will aim to improve Green Bay's secondary in 2021 and beyond.