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Carrington Valentine was the only cornerback the Green Bay Packers picked in this year’s draft with the 13 selections they had.
The Kentucky cornerback, who gave up his final year of collegiate eligibility to enter the draft, went in the seventh round and made it clear he thinks his best football is ahead of him.
“I feel like I’m a physical press man corner. I feel like I can be left on an island and press a receiver. I’m a young corner. I only made the switch (to corner) my junior year,” Valentine said.
Former UK all-SEC defensive back Van Hiles, who played for the Chicago Bears, thought Valentine should have gone earlier in the draft.
“I expected him to go about a round earlier, maybe two rounds,” Hiles said on WLAP Sunday Morning Sports Talk. “I didn’t believe the hype about him being a third- or fourth-round pick.
“When teams feel they can get you later in the draft, that’s what happens. I still think Valentine should have come back (to Kentucky) for another year. That would have shown even more of what he could do. He just didn’t have the overall film of guys who had played more (cornerback) than him.”
He played in 35 games at Kentucky and made 25 starts. He finished his UK career with 119 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, 16 pass breakups, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
“I just felt like I was ready to make that jump and bet on myself and learn from some of the great minds and coaches,” Valentine said when asked why he opted not to return to UK for another season.
He will join former Louisville star Jaime Alexander, a two-time Pro Bowl pick, and 2021 first-round draft pick Eric Stokes as Green Bay cornerbacks.
I just feel like going in there, I’m already one of them because that’s how I play,” Valentine said.
