Converting former college wide receivers into professional cornerbacks is not a new concept for the Green Bay Packers.
The franchise struck gold when it turned Sam Shields, primarily a pass catcher at the University of Miami, into a full-time defensive back and watched him turn into a Pro Bowl-caliber cover man. Green Bay attempted to replicate its success with Shields with additional players in the past five years, including Herb Waters and Raysean Pringle, with much more limited success. Former cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt Jr. once said that it was all about finding “skill sets” and measurable traits in determining which athletes could make such a switch.