By: Marques Eversoll
When the Green Bay Packers spent the 62nd pick in the 2015 NFL Draft on Miami (OH.) cornerback Quinten Rollins, even they didn’t know exactly what they got. The Packers don’t know what they have, I don’t know, Rollins doesn’t know.
But what they do know is this: Rollins was a four-year starter at point guard for the RedHawks men’s basketball team, and he had a semester of eligibility remaining, so he tried football. And in that one year of college football, Rollins intercepted seven passes and was named the Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year. A successful experiment. Now, he’s a second-round pick of the Packers.
If the Vince Lombardi Trophy were awarded to the best basketball-playing secondary in the National Football League, the rest of the league may just wave the white flag at the Green Bay Packers, who boast a potentially dynamic duo on the hardwood.
Rollins – second all-time at Miami with 124 career steals and fourth all-time with 391 career assists – joins Demetri Goodson (a former Gonzaga point guard) in the Packers’ cornerback room. Fellow defensive backs Micah Hyde and Casey Hayward have gone back-and-forth on Twitter, debating who’s the better basketball player, but neither player has anything on the Packers’ pair of D1 point guards. (Although I’d like to see this debate settled once and for all.)
Rollins personifies athletic ability. His speed (4.57 in the 40) and strength (14 reps at 225) don’t jump off the paper, but Rollins played just one year of college football and was the best defensive player in the conference. Think about that: Dude plays four years of Division 1 basketball, then gives football a try. “Yeah, sure. Let’s see what happens.” The guy intercepts seven passes and is named the MVP of the conference on the defensive side of the ball. That’s pretty remarkable.
For the Packers, the secondary was once an area of concern. But after their first two selections in this year’s draft, that perceived lack of depth seems to be a distant memory, despite Tramon Williams and Davon House leaving the Packers this offseason, signing with Cleveland and Jacksonville, respectively. Not even halfway through this year’s draft, the Packers’ secondary may very well be the deepest position group on the team.
Rollins joins fellow (basket) baller Goodson, first-round pick Damarious Randall, Sam Shields and Casey Hayward in the cornerback room. At safety, the Packers return both starters – Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Morgan Burnett – as well as both reserves (Micah Hyde and Sean Richardson), whom the team made a significant financial investment in after the Oakland Raiders signed him to an offer sheet.
There’s no doubt the Packers needed help in the secondary, and specifically, they needed someone one could play on the perimeter. Williams and House both operated primarily in that area of the field, whereas Hayward and Hyde have lined up mainly in the slot. Randall was listed as a safety in college, but was often manned up on receivers in the slot, and rarely on the perimeter.
Rollins, on the other hand, may be exactly what the Packers need opposite Shields. Rollins and Randall are relatively the same size, but Rollins is the more physical player and the second-round pick may hold the upper hand in terms of locking down the second starting job in the Packers’ base 3-4 defense. Training camp is still a couple months away, but don’t be surprised if Rollins – in just his second year playing football post-high school – lines up with the No. 1 defense as a rookie, perhaps as early as this summer.
The Packers drafting Rollins is like an NBA team drafting a European player; there’s an unknown factor. If former Wisconsin star Frank Kaminsky was from overseas, he might be a top-five draft pick. Since we saw him for four years in Madison – even though he was the National Player of the Year as a senior – we “know what he is.” Rollins? We have no idea. Rollins, himself, doesn’t know. But the Packers – Ted Thompson, Mike McCarthy, Dom Capers – the Packers are kicked back, relaxed and ready to enjoy the ride.
Marques Eversoll is on-air on SportsLine every weekday afternoon from 4:00-6:00 PM on The Fan, and he hosts the Saturday Morning Showcase every weekend 8:00-10:00 AM. Follow him on Twitter @MarquesEversoll.
Marques projected Rollins to the Packers in the second round (at #62) of his mock draft on The Fan blog.
