Packer nation has been abuzz over this past weekend’s draft which was headlined by Jaire Alexander, the 5’10’’ – 196 pound cornerback out of Louisville. By now you’ve seen the GIF of Alexander with his hands on his hips prancing around the field, you’ve seen the highlights and you probably have a pretty decent feel for who he has as a player.

Jaire Alexander #18 overall to the Green Bay Packers. #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/YfQmV3PNxg

— Chris Person (@RivalsChris) April 27, 2018

Today I take a deeper dive into the film and see what Jaire Alexander can really bring to the table for the Packers both this year and in seasons to come. This will be the first part of the film breakdown series, with the Jaire Alexnader posting today, Josh Jackson/Oren Burks on Tuesday, day three’s draft picks on Wednesday and the undrafted free agent class soon thereafter.

Without any further ado, here is today’s film breakdown of Jaire Alexander:

Strengths:

• Speed/Acceleration
• Click & Close
• Fluid Hips + Change of Direction
• Strong at the point of attack + Ball Skills
• Willing tackler
• Punt Return Ability
• Football IQ/Desire
• Strong Hands
• Vision

Weakness:

• Height
• Durability

Speed/Acceleration

When you draft a player in the top 20; ideally you want them to have rare/unique traits. Alexanders’ best trait is his top end speed. His 4.3 time in the 40-yard dash goes to show just how fast he is. Sometimes the numbers seem to lie at the combine and players don’t always live up to their speed. That’s not the case with Alexander as you consistently see his timed speed show up on tape.

Last vid. You can see just how fast Alexander can close on a receiver. He’s explosive out of his break. pic.twitter.com/X3qu8XYwBG

— Andy Herman (@SconnieSports) April 27, 2018

Jaire Alexander’s 2nd 40-yard dash: 4.38  pic.twitter.com/EZGNAIVcQZ

— LiveFeedLouisville™ (@LiveFeedLville) March 5, 2018

Click & Close

This is an elite trait for Jaire. What you see from Alexander below is something that maybe five NFL corners can do better than him. The ability to diagnose and break so quickly is really a sight to behold. What makes this trait even better is that one of Alexanders’ other best traits is reading his keys and identifying routes. He sees plays before they happen and then when you combine that with his speed and closing ability… look out.

Jaire Alexander’s click and close is ridiculous pic.twitter.com/hwlTy9Z7Bs

— Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) April 4, 2018

Fluid Hips + Change of Direction

Alexander has what you would call “oily hips.” They are so fluid and you can see that when he changes direction or turns to run with the receiver he has no wasted movement and can continue his momentum without losing a step. This is another elite trait for Alexander.

#Packers Jaire Alexander

Play 4: Another perfectly undercut pass. Alexander typically makes QB's pay for their mistakes. pic.twitter.com/4yuAuBlY5U

— Steve Frederick (@SportsGuyTweets) April 27, 2018

Strong at Point of Attack + Ball Skills

The Packers draft very few players on the outside, both at receiver and corner, who don’t have very strong ball skills and the ability to be aggressive at the point of attack. With Alexanders’ lack of height he will sometimes allow the ball to get to the receiver. Where Alexander makes up for this is with his ability to knock away passes at the last moment; even causing fumbles at times. Alexander never quits and he will battle until the end and make the receiver work for every completed pass.

Vision and ball skills again. And then once his hands are on the football look out. He shows his return ability and how dangerous he can be. pic.twitter.com/FsSjjMWRZ4

— Andy Herman (@SconnieSports) April 27, 2018

#Packers Jaire Alexander

Play 6: UK tested him deep here and I'm glad this was a no-call. Again, you can see his post play flare lol. pic.twitter.com/TjZv1B54oS

— Steve Frederick (@SportsGuyTweets) April 27, 2018

Punt Return Ability

Alexander will make his money playing corner, but if you want to add value and increase your odds of becoming a premium player in the league, make yourself available on all four downs. Alexander has proved that not only can he be a factor on defense, he can make a major impact on special teams as well. He will be a prime candidate to return punts and give the Packers’ offense significantly better field position with his return ability.

When die hard FSU fan and NFL bandwagon monster @TheShippWreck texts you that @JaireAlexander is trash >>>>>> pic.twitter.com/7pfa1reUIP

— Ross Uglem (@RossUglem) April 27, 2018

Football IQ/Love of the Game

Every report that you read mentions that Alexander is a football and film room junkie. It is incredibly rare to find a player who has elite traits, elite work ethic, and elite production. Alexander has all three. He will learn a great deal from Tramon Williams and I have no doubt that Williams will serve as a tremendous mentor to Green Bay’s young corners.

Alexander’s passion for the game shows up on tape in the details. He’s consistently working in all facets of the game, trying to get to his spots, setting the edge, being an aggressive tackler, and the list goes on and on. The more you watch Alexander, the more you appreciate the little things he does to help you win a football game.

Is he on the slighter side? Sure. But he will fight and battle every step of the way. Do not take Alexander lightly. pic.twitter.com/MOv1FL2AwM

— Andy Herman (@SconnieSports) April 27, 2018

This looks minor, but look how quickly he works to get inside of the receiver and avoid the block. You can tell on tape football matters to him. It shows up in the details. pic.twitter.com/9tB597SGIt

— Andy Herman (@SconnieSports) April 27, 2018

#Packers Jaire Alexander

Play 2: Causes another turnover here by forcing the fumble. pic.twitter.com/AmUa8iSzJw

— Steve Frederick (@SportsGuyTweets) April 27, 2018

Vision

If you go back and watch a lot of these clips you will notice that Alexander almost always has eyes on the quarterback which allows him to intercept passes and make plays on the ball. He uses his hands so well to track the receiver, then utilizes his elite agility to stick with the receiver all while keeping his eyes in the backfield. Alexander will undoubtedly have multiple seasons where he leads the Packers’ in interceptions because of this.

Here’s a mini-thread on Jaire Alexander. I tried to find some different film from what’s been out there already or at least pinpoint a few different things I saw.

- Thread - pic.twitter.com/ZwnQA9iVV1

— Andy Herman (@SconnieSports) April 27, 2018

Top of the screen. Watch his vision and his hand usage. His eyes are on the quarterback almost immediately. He uses his hands to keep track of the receiver. His vision and ball skills show up repeatedly. pic.twitter.com/eLC2xqfSgP

— Andy Herman (@SconnieSports) April 27, 2018

Height

The obvious knock on Alexander is his height. I compared Alexander to the defensive version of Baker Mayfield in this draft. If both are 2 inches taller they are the consensus top player at their respective position. The old scouting adage on corners is that if you’re not tall enough you can play 100% perfect coverage and still be beat. You see that happen from time to time with Alexander. While it does happen, Alexander does his best to make every catch contested. It’s going to take a perfect throw and a great catch in most situations to come down with a catch against Jaire.

Here you can see where his height can come into play. This is near perfect coverage but if he’s an inch taller this is incomplete.

When a pass is completed on Alexander is usually takes a great throw or great catch due to how close he stays to the receivers. pic.twitter.com/aq2aAiD54o

— Andy Herman (@SconnieSports) April 27, 2018

Durability

The only other major concern I have with Alexander is his durability. In 2015 he had an ankle that cost him time, in 2016 he had a shoulder issue, in 2017 he had a right knee injury that cost him multiple weeks and then he broke his hand. He obviously has a slight frame and he’s an aggressive tackler, so this will always be a bit of a concern for Alexander.

Overall

Overall there’s not a ton of holes in Alexander’s game. He’s got every athletic trait that you would desire and is elite in both quickness and agility. His ball skills and vision grade out very well and his ability to be a four down player is a plus as well.

His production the past two years has been phenomenal as well. In 2017 Alexander had more pass breakup and interceptions than passes completed against him. His athletic profile meets All-Pro thresholds and he’s an incredibly hard worker.

To be able to trade down, pick up a first rounder, and still get the 2^nd best player at the greatest area of need is a huge win for Brian Gutekunst. Alexander should become a full-time starter very early in his career and eventually become a Pro Bowl caliber player.

To hear more on my breakdown on Alexander and the Packers' draft, find some clips below:

Scout's Honor GB Packers draft wrap, with Andy Herman from Paul Crane on Vimeo.