The Green Bay Packers have a plethora of talent on their team this year. Many players who would be locks for other team’s rosters may end up getting cut from the Packers’ final roster. Of the players who are locks, Packers Wide Receivers Allen Lazard and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, two players whom we at Mayfield Sports have worked with in the past, are in an interesting competition. Both players are entering contract seasons. Additionally, both are candidates for the Packers’ second wide receiver position.
Of course, Davante Adams is the Packers’ number one wide receiver. After him, though, there is a battle for which player will take the second guaranteed starting spot. Both Lazard and Valdes-Scantling (MVS) had opportunities to be the second starter last season. Both had some fantastic games, but also had their separate struggles. Coming into camp, there was no clear-cut number two option at wide receiver. Undoubtedly, however, it will be one of these two players.
The decision of which of the two players will start at the second wide receiver position is very difficult. Each brings unique strengths to the offense. The question is which one is better or has the most potential to be a number two option. What complicates it further is that their stats from last season do not lend much help.
| Lazard | MVS | |
| Games | 10 | 16 |
| Receptions | 33 | 33 |
| Yards | 451 | 690 |
| Touchdowns | 3 | 6 |
| Catch % | 71.7 % | 52.4 % |
| Drop % | 10.9 % | 11.1 % |
| Yards/Game | 45.1 | 43.1 |
| Yards/Rec. | 13.7 | 20.9 |
From the stats above, it would appear that MVS had a much better season than Allen Lazard. However, it should be taken into consideration that Lazard missed six games due to a core muscle injury that required surgery. Additionally, he came back midseason and was still hampered by the injury. Taking that into consideration, one would assume that had the two played the same amount of games, it would have been Lazard with better statistics. After all, Lazard had a higher catch percentage and lower drop rate than MVS. That being said, “what ifs” do not help answer the question.
The Green Bay Packers played two playoff games last season. As the number one seed, they were able to sit out of the Wild Card round before facing the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round. Here is how MVS and Lazard compared in that game:
| Player | Receptions | Yards | Touchdowns |
| MVS | 4 | 33 | 0 |
| Lazard | 4 | 96 | 1 |
After defeating the Rams, the Packers hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship. Again, here is how the two receivers faired in that contest:
| Player | Receptions | Yards | Touchdowns |
| MVS | 4 | 115 | 1 |
| Lazard | 3 | 62 | 0 |
Based on these games, the two receivers combined for roughly the same stats. In other words, they were equally productive. Clearly, the answer to the question must come from training camp and preseason games.
As head coach Matt LaFleur stated, no player that he deems valuable to the Packers’ preparation from Week One of the regular season will play a snap of any preseason games. That means that neither MVS nor Allen Lazard will be on the field in any of the team’s remaining preseason games. The answer to our question of who will be the number two receiver, then, will be determined in training camp.
The case for Allen Lazard to be the team’s number two wide receiver is that he is a reliable target. He had a 71.7% catch percentage last season, which was second on the team (behind Davante Adams). Additionally, Aaron Rodgers had a 124.5 passer rating when targeting Lazard. By comparison, he had a 109.9 passer rating when targeting MVS.
Lazard showcased his potential last season in the game in which he actually injured his core. Against the Saints in Week Three, Lazard had six receptions for 146 yards and a touchdown. For a brief moment, it appeared as if he had locked up the second receiver position for good.
Few wide receivers in the NFL last season were criticized as much as MVS was. That being said, few wide receivers are as fast as MVS is. While the drops were a problem last season, reports from training camp state that he is using his body less to catch passes, a technique that led to drops last season. If MVS can cut those dropped passes in half, the Packers will have a second 1,000 receiver on the team.
The reason why MVS put up the numbers he did was because of his speed. He is a lethal downfield weapon who can blow by most defenders. His 20.9 yards per reception last season led not only the Packers, but the entire NFL.
There is no clear answer to this question, and with limited eyes on the practice field it will be difficult to guess what Matt LaFleur is going to do. One thing is for sure, though: both players are highly qualified and will be key contributors to the Packers’ 2021 season, and hopefully their Super Bowl run.
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The NFL is stocked with talented cornerbacks. Xavien Howard, for example, in Miami has grabbed many headlines over the past year with his ridiculous numbers. Last season, he led the NFL with 10 interceptions and 20 pass deflections. The Dolphins think so highly of him, that they restructured his contract just two years into the deal. However, as dominant as Howard is, there is an argument to be made that Jaire Alexander, cornerback for Green Bay is easily the NFL's best corner.
When Jaire Alexander declared for the NFL Draft, many experts tabbed him as one of the best in the class. According to walterfootball.com, his strengths include:
According to the same report, Alexander’s weaknesses were:
The Packers selected Jaire Alexander with the 18th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. In order to get him, they worked out a trade to move up seven spots. At the time, cornerback was a dire need for the team. The Packers taking him was a very popular move by many who cover the team.
Jaire Alexander was an immediate success in Green Bay. In his rookie season, he played in 13 games, starting 11 of them. He had just one interception but also had 11 pass deflections. Those 11 deflections were the most on the team. Only Josh Jackson came close to that total with 10.
There were some bumps in the road, though. Alexander gave up a 100.0 passer rating when targeted and had a missed tackle percentage of 10.8. Despite these shortcomings, the Packers knew they had a bonified number one corner on their hands.
In 2019, Alexander was even better. He stopped worrying about being a flashy player and instead focused on taking the receiver he was covering out of the action with intense coverage. As a result, he notched two interceptions and 17 pass deflections. His 17 deflections again led the Packers (Kevin King had 15). Alexander’s missed tackle percentage jumped to 12.1% in 2019, but his overall coverage improved. Quarterbacks had a passer rating of just 85.8 when targeting Jaire. His completion percentage allowed dropped from 64.8% to 53.6%. Clearly, he was getting even better.
Last season, Jaire Alexander stormed into the discussion as one of the NFL’s best corners. He made a name for himself by shutting down opponents’ number one receivers week after week. However, he did this with sticky coverage as opposed to coming up with flashy interceptions. Alexander only had one interception last year, which diminished the media’s coverage of him. However, he was even better than he had been in 2019.
Alexander had 13 pass deflections in 2020, which again led the team. His missed tackling percentage dropped significantly to 8.9%, and opposing quarterbacks completed just 51.3% of their passes when targeting him. Additionally, they only had a 67.4 rating when throwing his way.
In order to better compare Jaire Alexander and Xavien Howard, take a look at how they stacked up against each other in 2020.
| Jaire Alexander | Xavien Howard | |
| Interceptions | 1 | 10 |
| Pass Deflections | 13 | 20 |
| Opponents QB Rating | 67.4 | 48.3 |
| Completion Percentage | 51.3% | 51.5% |
| Yards Given Up | 375 | 719 |
| TD’s Allowed | 2 | 4 |
Upon first glance, it appears that Xavien Howard has every advantage over Jaire Alexander. However, the yards given up is a very telling stat. Howard was targeted 101 times last season; Alexander just 80. While there is no doubt that Xavien Howard is one of the best in the NFL, Alexander was so elite that opposing quarterbacks would not even throw his way! Of course, Alexander is not going to have the flashiest stats. How can he get them when the offense will not throw his way?
As stated, there are numerous talented cornerbacks in the NFL. Xavien Howard gets the most press coverage because of the insane numbers that he is able to put up. It is time, though, to put some respect on the name of Jaire Alexander. He may not get the stats, but that is because he is better at his job in coverage than any other player out there, and it shouldn't minimize his place as the NFL's best corner. There is little doubt that he will be First-Team All-Pro this season.
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