It’s been a while since the Green Bay Packers have seen a healthy Eric Stokes on the field, which could lead the team to find his replacement in 2025 with a player like Jabbar Muhammad.
The Packers declined Stokes’ fifth-year option back in May, making him a free agent after this season. Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski has a replacement in mind for Green Bay. Here’s what he had to say about the Packers taking Muhammad in his latest 2025 mock draft.
“The Green Bay Packers must decide what they prefer to do long-term at the cornerback position,” Sobleski wrote. “The selection of Oregon’s Jabbar Muhammad would provide the Packers with one of the class’ most instinctual and best playmaking defensive backs.”
Jaire Alexander is Green Bay’s established star at corner. However, the Packers will need additional depth at the position if they decided to let Stokes walk in free agency.
Who Is Jabbar Muhammad?
He may not be a household name yet. But Muhammad is already generating plenty of draft buzz heading into 2024.
Muhammad has had a hectic college career. A 3-star recruit out of Texas in 2020, he originally committed to play for Oklahoma State. After three years there, he transferred to Washington, where he was a full-time starter for the Huskies during their College Football Playoff run. He earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors with 46 tackles, 16 pass breakups, five tackles for loss, three interceptions, and two sacks.
Now, Muhammad has transferred yet again to play for the Oregon Ducks in 2024. Although he has a smaller frame at 5-foot-10 and 183 pounds, he’s a technically sound corner who can be extremely sticky in man coverage.
This upcoming season will be a huge one for Muhammad. As long as he can hit the ground running with his third college team, there’s a very real chance that he’ll end up being a first-round pick.
The Latest on Eric Stokes
It’s been a brutal stretch for Eric Stokes.
A former first-round pick in 2021, Stokes showed real promise as a rookie. However, things quickly took a downturn in his second season. He missed the back half of the season with knee and foot injuries. The injuries were serious enough that Stokes didn’t look like himself when he returned to the field.
Injuries continued to keep Stokes off of the field in 2023. The Packers ended up sending him to University of Wisconsin-Madison for treatment this offseason. He had nothing but positive things to say about the experience.
“My foot wasn’t as strong as it needed to be, so it put my pressure on my hamstring and my calf,” Stokes revealed back in May. “We trained hard…we were attacking my legs. Day in and day out. Now I come back, and I feel even better.”
“I think he’s as good as I’ve ever seen him. Both mentally, and on the field,” LaFleur added. “He looks fully healthy. He’s doing a great job challenging our receivers. He’s always in phase, and I think you can see the personality coming back…he’s had a chance to really develop his body, and he looks in great shape. The play says the same.”
Stokes already enters 2024 with competition against Carrington Valentine. However, if fully healthy, Stokes should have the upper hand in earning back his starting job.
