The Packers selected Kentucky cornerback Carrington Valentine with pick 232 in the 2023 NFL Draft. Here’s what evaluators said about Valentine in the pre-draft process.

Strengths

Dane Brugler, The Athletic — Adequate frame, but better arm length ... aggressive at the snap and looks to make receivers uncomfortable (didn’t play a ton of press-man but looked comfortable doing it) ... stays square and opens up to run and match the stride of receivers … sees routes develop from off coverage ... reacts with strong drive mechanics to close space in zone ... eager to jump slant routes ... very competitive and takes it personally when a completion happens on his watch ... innately driven, and NFL defensive coaches will love his play personality ... led the team in passes defended in 2022 ... was a regular on kick coverage, punt coverage and punt return teams as a junior in 2022.

Lance Zerlein, NFL.com — Well-built with a long, athletic frame. Capable of handling press/bail coverages. Limited cornerback experience with room for improvement. Adequate plant-and-drive from the top of his drop. Faces up to deep sideline throws and locates the ball. Rakes through catch point to jar ball free.

Damian Parson, Draft Network — Competitiveness. Coverage flexibility. Developmental upside

NFL Draft Buzz — Has a nice blend of length, speed, and quickness. He’s at his best mirroring routes underneath, showing fluid movement skills and the ability to change directions on a dime. Instinctive - strong in zone coverage. Has the change-of-direction ability to mirror underneath but did solid work out of press and off coverage. Willing and successful blitzing off the edge. Consideration for a move to safety with a combination of range and sure tackling. Shows good instincts when facing the action in zone coverage, and Valentine has solid ball skills. Has a powerful punch at the line of scrimmage and can deliver it while moving his feet. Valentine also has the powerful core and hips to stick to a receiver downfield and escort him to the sideline

Ian Cummings, Pro Football Network — Extremely explosive athlete who brings elite accelerative capacity as a closer. Has the long-strider speed to recover, close gaps, and limit vertical separation. High-energy lateral athlete with exceptional corrective twitch and throttle freedom. Has very fluid hips, with which he can sink and undergo sharp direction changes. Can play low in his stance, hinge around, and channel acceleration upfield instantly. Has great proportional length for his size and can use it in support and in the air. Feisty, unhinged competitor who brings high-end proactive physicality in all phases. Flashes great matching technique, foot speed, and response to stimulus in off-man. Shows off stellar coordination, body control, and timing in contested situations. Aggressive, forceful tackler who explodes downhill in run support.

The 33rd Team — Excellent size, length and athletic combination. Quick feet and fluid hips to mirror assignments and carry vertical routes. Mixes up press coverage with the ability to stay patient and mirror, as well as use quick, violent hands to shoot and stab. Scrappy when engaging in press as well as vs. perimeter blockers.

Weaknesses

Dane Brugler, The Athletic — Thinly built corner with marginal bulk ... plays physical but not always strong/stout, and receivers will be able to power through him ... managed only one interception in college — and it came against an FCS opponent (Youngstown State) ...inconsistent highpointing the football ... tends to lose his composure and get grabby, especially with his back to the football ... tends to get upright and leggy in his breaks, leaving him trying to recover ... needs to improve the placement of his jam hands ... must make adjustments to his tackling approach to be more consistent in the run game.

Lance Zerlein, NFL.com — Only one career interception and multiple drops of would-be interceptions. Not enough juice to close out receivers after coverage missteps. Below-average aggression handling run-support duties. Takes giant bites out of double moves. Takes some very poor angles to ball-carriers.

Damian Parson, Draft Network — Mental lapses/communication. Overaggressiveness. Consistency

NFL Draft Buzz — Questionable technique and Valentine gets lazy with fundamentals, sometimes getting high in his backpedal and will breach the coverage call seeking flashy plays. Valentine gets beat over the top too often, and he tends to panic and get too handsy when running downfield. Isn’t great in route recognition when he’s facing the action, is hesitant and susceptible to double moves, and too often gets unnecessarily handsy when playing trail position

Ian Cummings, Pro Football Network — Over-aggression invites volatility both at the line and in coverage. Can be more patient and disciplined in press-man alignments. Sometimes rushes to jam before his base is stable and can be uncontrolled with length. Sometimes grabs and tugs upfield to compensate for initial losses at the line. Can be outmuscled by larger wideouts who exploit his hands and get inside his frame. Can be over-zealous in taking risks and jumping routes, thereby vacating zones. Plant-and-drive footwork on comeback routes can be more efficient at times. At times, experiences a slight delay between recognition and reaction on screens.

The 33rd Team — Slow to react vs. the run. Questionable vision and discipline in zone assignments. Minimal ball production, inconsistent in locating and playing the ball down the field.

Overall

Dane Brugler, The Athletic — A two-year starter at Kentucky, Valentine was the boundary cornerback in defensive coordinator Brad White’s zone-heavy scheme. Still relatively new to the position after moving to corner as a junior in high school, his 2022 tape was a tad volatile, with plenty of flashes mixed in with some mistake-filled games. Valentine has an enticing blend of physical tools and physicality that fits the mold of what NFL teams want at the position. But he will lose route phase/positioning. Because of his lack of refinement (allowed eight completions of 25-plus yards in 2022), and his one career interception is a troubling stat. Overall, Valentine is long, aggressive and athletic and has yet to reach his ceiling as a cover man, but his ball instincts and technique are underdeveloped, making his draft grade much more of a projection than others. He projects best as a long-limbed press corner.

Lance Zerlein, NFL.com — Valentine has the physical traits necessary for the NFL but the instincts and body control to extend his coverage against quality route runners leaves something to be desired. He’s solid at crowding vertical throws and can play press-and-bail, but he has had coverage busts in zone. Also, he bites too easily on double moves. Valentine’s lack of aggression as a run defender could make it tougher for zone teams to give him a chance.

Damian Parson, Draft Network — Valentine has a slim physical build and this shows up versus bigger-framed receivers. He can be pushed around on stalk blocks once they are engaged. His frame shows up on in-breaking routes where big receivers can box him out. In man coverage, Valentine tends to lean too far in press alignment, leading to poor weight distribution when attempting to turn and run with his assignment. He tends to overcompensate to protect himself from being beaten on deep vertical routes. This can open underneath or in-breaking patterns. His technique has room to improve from his base to punch placement and timing. I project Valentine as a depth cornerback early in his career. He offers value on kick and punt coverages for special teams. He can work his way into the defensive lineup in heavy defensive back sets. I believe he has a potential starter upside if he improves on technical consistency and adapts controlled aggression to play under control.

Ian Cummings, Pro Football Network — He’ll probably take his lumps if he has to start on Day 1. To reach his ceiling, Valentine needs to learn to be more efficient, calculated, and synergetic with his jams in press and more measured in zone. Nevertheless, Valentine’s still very young at the CB position. He’s trending up, and at his maximum, he can be an impact starting CB on the boundary, with press-man ability, playmaking value, and scheme versatility.

The 33rd Team — Valentine is scrappy, taking on perimeter blocks and attacking in press coverage, but he could get stronger to combat bigger receivers. There are questions surrounding his ball tracking and hands down the field. Valentine has the physical traits to be a starting corner in the NFL. He already shows the skills and temperament to be highly effective in press coverage. If he can improve his vision and discipline, he has a chance to be a well-rounded NFL starter.

Where Carrington Valentine ranked on evaluators’ big boards

Todd McShay, ESPN - 159

NFL Mock Draft Database Consensus Big Board - 232

Pro Football Focus - 283