The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2025 NFL draft.
Jaire Alexander may or may not be on Green Bay’s roster when the 2025 season kicks off. The former all-pro cornerback may not even be on the roster by the time the 2025 NFL Draft rolls around.
Alexander’s uncertain future in Green Bay paired with Eric Stokes set to be a free agent, it’s a safe bet that Brian Gutekunst will add talent to the cornerback room this offseason.
Gutekunst added three safeties to the roster a year ago during the 2024 NFL Draft. The year before he added three pass catchers on Day Two of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Gutekunst may attack the cornerback room with the same ferocity during the 2025 NFL Draft. A cornerback that the Packers could target during the draft is Jacob Parrish. The Kansas State prospect checks in at No. 88 in the Unpacking Future Packers Countdown.
A Kansas native, Parrish recorded 44 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions and 13 pass deflections during the 2023 campaign.
This past season, Parrish recorded 50 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one interception and eight pass deflections.
“Parrish was kind of the vision of what Kansas State has been the last few seasons,” Drew Galloway, a Kansas State reporter for On3Sports said. “He was under-recruited and was almost going to be a walk-on before it turned into a scholarship offer. He came in with little to no fanfare and went to work, and never redshirted, and has just continued to rise and get better every season.”
Parrish played three positions at Olathe North High School and set the school record for receiving yards. Along with football, Parrish played basketball and was a standout track and field athlete.
Parrish is sticky in coverage. The Kansas State cornerback is explosive in his click and close. He doesn’t panic when the ball is in the air and as a former high school wide receiver he has plus ball skills. He has the long speed to stay attached vertically.
Parrish logged 202 snaps in the slot during his time at Kansas State. With his fluid athleticism, route recognition, toughness and short-area quickness, Parrish offers outside-inside versatility.
“He has great speed and uses it to his advantage in coverage and always finds himself around the ball,” Galloway said. “He has good ball skills and is fun to watch when the ball is in the air for someone his size.”
Despite not being the biggest cornerback, Parrish is willing to throw his weight around in run support. According to Pro Football Focus, Parrish was tagged with five missed tackles this past season.
In the below video, Parrish is able to wrangle Cam Skattebo, the Arizona State running back, who forced 102 missed tackles this past season.
“He’s good in run support,” Galloway said. “He learned from Julius Brents how to play against the run and is a really good tackler. He’s not afraid to put his face in the fan.”
Fit with the Packers
The Packers are potentially looking at a mini remodel of their cornerback room this offseason. Assuming Alexander is gone, it would leave Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine as the two cornerbacks on the roster with meaningful snaps to their names. Throw in Javon Bullard, who figures to be the team’s starting nickel cornerback when the 2025 season opens up next fall.
Having Nixon and Valentine as the two starting cornerbacks won’t necessarily invoke a ton of fear in opposing quarterbacks next season. Gutekunst needs to add more talent to that room.
Parrish offers outside-inside versatility, he’s a tough-as-nails, pesty coverage cornerback.
“I would draft Parrish because his best football is in front of him,” Galloway said. “He’s still super young and he still has a lot of room to grow. He has speed that can’t be taught and will be a good tester at the NFL Combine and will be good in the locker room.”
It would not be shocking to see the Packers add three cornerbacks to the roster during the 2025 NFL Draft. That number could shrink if Gutekunst adds a veteran to the mix via free agency.
Parrish may be a tad undersized (5-10, 183 pounds), but he plays above his weight class. If he’s still on the board when the Packers are on the clock to start Day 3, the Packers could add the former three-sport athlete to the cornerback room at 1265 Lombardi Avenue.
