The Green Bay Packers are hoping to win big with Matt LaFleur at head coach. A player who is crucial to the defense's success is Jaire Alexander.
Alexander was a rookie in 2018 and produced an impressive first year in the NFL. Alexander had 11 pass deflections, 66 tackles, and one interception.
The Packers have failed to reach the playoffs for two straight seasons after going 6-9-1 in 2018. The previous season, the Packers went 7-9 and came up short of the postseason.
Mike McCarthy is no longer calling the shots, having been fired after spending 13 seasons with the franchise. LaFleur will want to inject a winning culture into Green Bay.
Back to Alexander: The passing defense was solid throughout 2018, being ranked 12th against the pass. Turnovers will need to improve if the Packers hope to improve in 2019—they had just seven interceptions in 2018 (tied for 29th in the NFL).
Alexander is one of the up-and-coming cornerbacks in the NFL. He is ready to make a name for himself in 2019. Here are three way-too-early bold predictions for the Packers' young cornerback.
3. 20+ Pass Deflections
Jaire Alexander started in 11 games during the 2018 season. In those 11 games, Alexander had 11 pass deflections.
Usually, young guys playing at cornerback get targeted a ton. However, in Alexander's case he wasn't constantly being thrown at by quarterbacks.'
Last season, his most notable game came against a talented Los Angeles Rams team in Week 7. In that game, Alexander was given the responsibility of covering Brandin Cooks.
Not many rookies are given that level of trust in their first season. Alexander balled out by breaking up five passes in that game. He held Cooks to just three receptions for 74 yards.
Jaire Alexander is going to get more opportunities to break up passes in 2019 and will accumulate at least 20 deflected passes in 2019.
2. 80+ Tackles
One of the most impressive aspects of Alexander's game in 2018 was his ability to make tackles in the run game. Over the course of 2018, the cornerback had 66 total tackles with 61 of them being solo.
By just looking at Alexander, you wouldn't view him as someone who is comfortable stopping the run. Alexander is 5-10 and under 200 pounds, but he isn't afraid of contact at all.
Making tackles as a cornerback is one way to get more reps on the field, especially as a rookie. That was likely one of the reasons why Alexander was on the field more often as the season progressed.
In 2018, Alexander had seven games in which he had five or more tackles. In addition, he had a game in Week 13 when he had 10 tackles against the Atlanta Falcons.
The young cornerback is poised to continue making plays in the run game and will exceed 80 combined tackles in 2019.
1. 4+ Interceptions
During his time in Louisville, Alexander was a ball hawk, gathering seven interceptions in his three seasons in college. His ball skills didn't produce interceptions in his rookie season.
Alexander had just one interception in 2018 for Green Bay. Despite the lack of interceptions, he was still able to make a huge difference for the Packers' defense.
Leading up to the 2018 NFL Draft, scouts raved about Alexander's ability to make plays on the ball. He has the talent to be a ball-hawking cornerback and it will show even more in 2019.
The Packers' young cornerback will intercept four or more passes in 2019. Aaron Rodgers will be one of the happiest people to see that—he'll get the ball more.
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