Who is Eric Stokes? What Packers fans need to know about newest draft pick

Georgia’s first player is off the board.

The Green Bay Packers selected Bulldog corner Eric Stokes with the 30th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Here are five things Packer fans need to know about their incoming rookie corner:

He starred for Georgia in the SEC

Stokes started all 10 games at corner for the Bulldogs in 2020. He registered four pass breakups, four interceptions and 20 total tackles.He started 26 games over the past three seasons in Athens.

Mel Kiper projection for Eric Stokes

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.: “Stokes is a somewhat lean cornerback who has a lot of experience in press-man coverage. He shows good instincts and is steady in coverage. He has some tightness in his turn but has good straight-line speed. When Stokes gets in trouble, he gets too handsy, and he won’t get away with as much contact in the NFL. Three of his four interceptions were gift-wrapped in 2020, but he still shows solid ball skills and good instincts when the ball is in the air. In addition, he does a very good job of knocking the ball loose at the catch-point when he’s out of phase and can’t get his head turned around in time. He needs to get stronger in order to improve his re-routing ability in press and get off of blocks sooner.”

PFF rating for Eric Stokes

Pro Football Focus had Stokes as one of the most lockdown corners in the country in 2020. He allowed a 37.1 passer rating and no touchdowns when lined up on the outside while also pulling down four interceptions.

Stokes 40 time, NFL measurable

At Georgia’s Pro Day, Stokes registered blazing 40-yard dash times of 4.25 and 4.29. Like fellow corner Tyson Campbell, Stokes also has decent corner size at 6-foot-1 and 194 pounds.

Eric Stokes recruiting ranking

Stokes is a prospect that developed very well at Georgia. He ranked as a three-star prospect coming out of high school, rated as the 63rd-best cornerback prospect in the country in the Class of 2017.