Two first-round picks, two players who have already performed at a high level. On paper, the Green Bay Packers have an extremely talented and promising cornerback duo, but it's been rare to see both on the field at the same time, and playing well, over the last two seasons.

For different reasons, Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes haven't lived up to their status, especially in 2023, but they both seem to be in a good space to make a bigger impact in 2024.

Maturity

Over the last four years, Jaire Alexander's career has been the definition of up and down. He was a second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler in 2020 and 2022, but missed several games in 2021 and 2023. Last year, on top of a shoulder injury, he had that coin toss fiasco that led to a team-imposed one-game suspension.

Jaire is who he is, and that won't change. After the Wednesday practice, he showed his personality when entering the locker room to talk to reporters.

"The best cornerback in the league has entered the chat."

But on the other hand, Alexander used that weird situation from last season to learn and improve as a person.

"Just going into Year 7, at this point, I'm trying not to make it as much about myself and just do what's best for the team," Alexander stressed.

And that adjustment has been noted by the Packers.

"Ja has been outstanding," head coach Matt LaFleur said. "He's been here every day, shows up, great attitude, eager to learn. He is out there competing with the guys, talking trash, which I love because I love just amping up that level of competition in a fun way. He's never demeaning. I think he's been a great teammate and been a great leader for us."

The seventh season is a dangerous spot in a cornerback's career timeline — it's usually when players start to regress at that position. But Jaire Alexander wants to use his individual growth to avoid that fate.

Healthy and ready

Eric Stokes was impressive in his rookie year. At that time, Alexander had suffered a shoulder injury, and the Packers were still in the process to find Rasul Douglas. Stokes became cornerback 1 basically from the get go, and he lived up to the standard against top receivers in 2021.

In 2022, though, his level wasn't the same even before serious ankle and knee injuries. Last year, he had to handle that recovery and hamstring issues as a consequence. Now, Stokes seems to be healthier again — an offseason visit to specialists to understand the root of the problem alongside wide receiver Christian Watson was part of the plan.

"He's as good as I've ever seen him. Both mentally and on the field," LaFleur pointed out. "I want to temper expectations with that, but I do really mean that. He's out there competing each and every day. He looks fully healthy. He's doing a great job of challenging our wide receivers. I think you see that personality is back."

It's still early in the process, because there's no contact. But LaFleur is happy with how Stokes has approached his fourth year.

"That's tough on players when you're going through an offseason, not really having an opportunity to build upon their bodies," the coach said. "You're just focusing on rehabbing and getting healthy. He's had a chance to really develop his body, and he looks in great shape. I think the play says the same."

The Packers declined Stokes' fifth-year option, which means he's entering a contract year. It's a big opportunity but also a big task to make sure he gets a solid second NFL deal.

The Green Bay Packers didn't draft a cornerback until Kalen King in the seventh round. The plan always involved bounce-back seasons from Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes. Based on what it's possible to see in OTAs, the plan is starting to come together.