Last season, the Green Bay Packers were very much a disappointment. They went 6-9-1 during the regular season and failed to make the playoffs for the second straight season. Head coach Mike McCarthy ended up being fired 13 weeks into the season.

However, one bright spot to the season was the emergence of rookie cornerback Jaire Alexander. He was drafted by the team with the 18th pick of the 2018 NFL draft. The former Louisville Cardinal stands at 5-foot-10 and a shade under 200 pounds. Even though he's a bit of a tweener, he's already proven himself to be one of the best cover cornerbacks in the entire league.

On the season, Alexander added 66 tackles, three tackles for a loss, one interception, and 11 pass breakups. He led the team in passes defended and finished second behind Blake Martinez in tackles.

No cornerback in the NFL contested a higher number of passes in coverage last season, per Pro Football Focus. Alexander finished with an overall grade of 72.4. This was the seventh-highest grade on the team and 30th among all NFL cornerbacks, via PFF.

Coming into the offseason, Alexander needs to improve on a few things to prove that he's an elite corner. Here are the top three improvements he can make to his game.

3. Consistency

As a rookie, nobody expects that you'll come in right away and play amazingly. Still, Alexander proved right away that he can guard some of the best wideouts in the entire league.

He was able to hold his own against Brandin Cooks, Julio Jones, and Adam Thielen late in games. In fact, during their game against the Saints, he broke up five passes. No other game this season did a defensive back have more than four.

At times, Alexander still had games where he seemed to be not as much of a factor. While he lost his share of battles with No. 1 receivers, Alexander consistently displayed the kind of athleticism and coverage IQ that that top coverage corners have. He just needs to do it a weekly basis.

2. Health

Alexander came into the season battling a groin injury he was first diagnosed with during training camp. There’s probably something to say about Alexander’s impact as a rookie even though he wasn't fully healthy. His first career interception came against the Buffalo Bills in Week 4 on a pass from rookie quarterback Josh Allen. He wasn't 100 percent back from injury until Week 5 or 6.

If Alexander is healthy, his transition into next season would be seamless. He doesn't have to handle the talent jump between the college and professional game, plus he'll be completely healthy. With those two factors in play, he could be effective straight out of the gate.

1. Hands

Alexander only had one interception on the season last year. For a coverage corner who also does punt returns, the next advancement in his overall game is the ability to corral in passes. The pass breakups are excellent. However, the best corners in the league have at least a few more interceptions.

Forcing turnovers is what elite NFL defenders do. That's what made the Chicago Bears defense so effective last season. Until then, he won't quite be on the level of a top NFL defensive back.