The 2021 NFL season is almost upon, which is big news for Green Bay Packers fans. The upcoming campaign could very well be future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers' final one with the team, as many have speculated. To make the most of the season, even Rodgers himself has labeled 2021 as championship or bust.
Green Bay retains the vast majority of their core on both offense and defense – a group that went 13-3 and came within one touchdown of a trip to the Super Bowl. However, there's clearly still room for improvement if they want to unseat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as NFC champions.
Just as Shaquil Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul became the X factors for Tampa Bay down the stretch last season, the Packers will need someone to step up and be that X factor for this year. When predicting who that will be, we need to examine the Pack's biggest areas of concern. Kevin King and the second cornerback spot certainly come to mind, as Green Bay corners not named Jaire Alexander got torched all game by Tom Brady in the NFC Championship Game.
Offensive line does as well, as the constant pressure on Rodgers was ultimately why they couldn't capitalize for the points they would've liked off of Tom Brady's 3 interceptions. However, David Bakhtiari was injured, and perhaps more concerning was that there were often times no open receivers for Rodgers to throw to. The run defense has always been a concern as well, but receiver and cornerback seem to be the most pressing areas of concern.
The most talented players from those groups who are the real X factors this season are King, rookie corner Eric Stokes, and receiver Marquez Valdez-Scantling. Let's start with the corners.
It feels like King has received a bad rap for his performance the last couple seasons. Though there's obviously room for improvement, a lot of the production against him has largely stemmed from being lined up across from Jaire Alexander. Opposing QBs almost never target Alexander, and so King has thus become the victim of an unnaturally high amount of targets. At 6'3″ with 4.43 speed, he has the measurables to be elite, but it hasn't quite panned out for him yet.
If King doesn't improve, then the Packers' 29th overall pick from this year, Eric Stokes, may have to fill the role of starting CB. With an absolutely scorching 4.25 40 time, Stokes has the potential to lock up top NFL speedsters, and he's already got great handwork at the line of scrimmage. He's on the thin side, but getting to learn from a similarly athletic star like Alexander should give Stokes the chance to be elite himself.
As for Valdez-Scantling, I see him as a true post-hype sleeper heading into 2021. He's been one of the league's most talented receivers since he entered the league, and took that to a new level in 2020, as he led the league with 20.9 yards per reception on 33 catches (690 yards).
He's been super confident in the offseason this year, and reports out of camp are that he's had a great connection with Rodgers.
MVS says #Packers have "super competitive" WR room: "I think we have the best wideout room in the National Football League." He says "Aaron wasn't throwing to himself" when he won his third MVP last season.
— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) September 2, 2021
If he can find the consistency to haul routine passes in, MVS is truly capable of being one of the best deep threats in the NFL. If he'd been able to take the top off of the Tampa Bay defense a few times last season, we could've been looking at a whole different game, where they'd have to be more conservative and give Rodgers the cushion for some shorter throws.
More than anyone, Valdez-Scantling is the Packers' biggest X factor. A breakout from him could mean a championship back in Titletown.
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