After another frustrating loss, when nothing seemed to go right until the very end, it's easy to dwell on the negatives from a 37-29 defeat to the Carolina Panthers. However, there are some positives to take away from the game.

One such positive is rookie cornerback Damarious Randall. His timely interception in the fourth quarter put the Packers in position to finish a dramatic comeback.

He's taken some lumps along the way and has made some typical rookie mistakes, but he's playing some really good football. In fact, he's the Packers' rookie of the year over the first half of the season.

Randall, who was the Packers' first pick in the 2015 draft, and devastating selection overall, is expected to play well. In today's NFL, high draft picks need to see the field early and often. Missing on first-round draft picks can be devastating to a team.

However, that hasn't always been the case for the Packers. 

Scouting and drafting is an inexact science, and it seems like misses are more common than hits. Couple that with general manager Ted Thompson's draft and develop approach, his first-round picks haven't been counted upon much lately to make significant contributions out of the gate. Or, when they have been counted upon early, they haven't been very impressive.

Thompson's last five first-round picks have been tackle Derek Sherrod, outside linebacker Nick Perry, defensive end Datone Jones, safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, and Damarious Randall.

Sherrod is no longer in football, Perry is finally playing well in his fourth season, Datone Jones is also playing well but in a part-time capacity, and Clinton-Dix has appeared to regress this year.

In comparison, Randall's immediate contributions are refreshing, especially since he was being heavily counted upon to replace the departed Tramon Williams and Davon House.

Thus far, Randall has registered two interceptions, 31 total tackles, and 10 passes defensed. Pro Football Focus (paid site, subscription required) currently has him ranked as the 26th overall cornerback out of 110 players eligible for ratings.

In comparison, Tramon Williams is ranked 32nd and Davon House is 56th, suggesting the rookie has been an immediate upgrade over them.

For further discussion, Randall ranks right behind Casey Hayward (15th), Sam Shields (20th), and the Seahawks' Richard Sherman (25th), who is largely considered the best cornerback in the game.

Randall is in good company if you consider statistics and independent grades.

More importantly, however, he passes the eye test.

After playing as a safety in college, Randall was asked to transition to cornerback, which is not an easy switch. Usually, the conversion is the other way around, moving from cornerback to safety because of the different needs and techniques in pass coverage.

Yet, Randall has made it seem as seamless as possible. He's showing veteran savvy, and is starting to develop into a ball hawk. He's beginning to set up quarterbacks by baiting them into throws he can defend, knock down, or even intercept.

He had the game winning bat down against the San Diego Chargers at the goal line. He also seemed to bait Cam Newton this last Sunday into a plus-territory interception that put the Packers into position to possibly tie the game late in the fourth quarter.

While his play hasn't been perfect, he's shown a lot. Randall is a high motor guy and seems to be improving every time he steps on the field.

Earlier in the season, rookie wide receiver Ty Montgomery seemed to be a lock for the Packers' rookie of the year, but his recent absence due to injury currently has him out of the running. Fellow rookie cornerback Quinten Rollins has also impressed at times, and has more flashy plays at times including a pick-6, but his play has been more inconsistent compared to Randall.

Randall has played so well that he is now deserving of starting as the other boundary cornerback opposite of Sam Shields. Once Shields returns to health, the Packers would be wise to move Hayward back to his more comfortable slot cornerback position. 

Moving forward, the defense has a lot of work to do after yielding massive yards, lots of points, and two consecutive losses. It'll take a total team effort to pick up the pieces, but Randall's emergence will be a big part of that, which is why he's the Packers' first half rookie of the year.

If he keeps it up, don't be surprised if he's the Packers' rookie of the year for the whole season and in the running for the NFL defensive rookie of the year.