The Green Bay Packers spent most of their draft capital on the offensive side of the ball, not selecting a defensive player until Day 3. It wasn't until Round 7 that they addressed their defensive backfield, an area many Packers fans thought would be more of a priority. Instead, Green Bay used a seventh-round pick on a cornerback for a third straight year, picking Micah Robinson out of Tulane.
However, they may have another defensive back they may be even higher on that they signed after the NFL Draft. Packers insider Rob Demovsky shared a list of Packers undrafted rookies and revealed that the team gave UNLV defender Johnathan Baldwin a $115,000 guaranteed salary, including a $15k signing bonus.
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) May 2, 2025The Packers gave Baldwin $115,000 guaranteed ($15K signing bonus plus $100K of his base salary).
The Packers don't typically do the base salary guarantees with UDFAs so either they were in a bidding battle for him or they really, really like him. https://t.co/7ttGshj5MK
Packers Break the Bank for Undrafted Rookie CB
As Demovsky noted, this may have been the result of a bidding war with another team. The Packers typically shy away from giving out guaranteed salaries to undrafted free agents, making this decision a surprising one.
What makes this even more fascinating is the fact that Baldwin wasn't a particularly coveted defensive back coming out of college. As a prospect, Baldwin was ranked as the 103rd-best safety prospect by The Athletic's Dane Brugler in his NFL Draft Guide. After initially being listed as a safety, Baldwin was labelled as a cornerback in the Packers' announcement. In fact, he has spent most of his 2024 snaps in the slot and should be considered an alternative there for Green Bay.
As things stand now, Green Bay's cornerback rotation remains up in the air. Jaire Alexander's future with the Packers is a question mark, and the depth behind Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, and Nate Hobbs is uncertain. Whether rookies Micah Robinson and UDFA signing Johnathan Baldwin will be able to carve out a spot for themselves in that rotation remains to be seen.
