Nov. 25--Information for this report was obtained from NFL scouts.
Damarious Randall was drafted 30th overall in the first round and has started five games at left cornerback after beginning the season as part of the nickel package. The 5-foot-11, 196-pounder leads the defense with 13 pass breakups and has two interceptions.
Many teams viewed Randall as a safety, the position he played at Arizona State, or potential nickel cornerback, but he has settled in on the outside and right now is the team's best cornerback, supplanting Casey Hayward in the lineup. His interception of Cam Newton in Week 9 gave the Packers a chance to tie the game late.
"Watching him back at the Senior Bowl he played safety and really stood out because of his footwork and how he drove hard downfield on the ball," one scout said. "He had good range in the middle of the field and good ball skills. (But) when the Packers drafted him, you looked and they had HaHa Clinton-Dix, Morgan Burnett and Micah Hyde and you wondered what they were doing. They knew he could play cornerback. The kid is ultra-competitive, he's aggressive and he doesn't back down from anybody. He has good recovery speed and strong hands, which help him at the line of scrimmage.
"He's flexible, he has decent top-end speed and what stands out is he plays with really good technique. A lot of times that's not the case with rookies. He can ID routes and chop down at the top of the route, but he's still a rookie and there are situations where you're going to say, 'Oh, man.' Much more positive than negative though. The thing I like most is how aggressive he is. (General manager) Ted Thompson knows what he's doing when he drafts defensive backs."
