Carrington Valentine impresses in preseason debut with Packers

Sure, it was only the first game of the preseason, but Carrington Valentine sure looks like he belongs in the NFL.

Valentine, a former Kentucky defensive back who was drafted in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft, shined in his first-ever professional appearance for the Green Bay Packers. In what was a 36-19 Packers win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Friday night, Valentine recorded four solo tackles, a game-high three pass deflections, and one interception that he ran back 17 yards.

Although he wasn’t tasked with going up against Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who is still recovering from a calf injury, Valentine was wildly impressive and was the talk of social media throughout the game and into the night. He was jamming receivers at the line of scrimmage, reading the offense with precision, and was lockdown whenever a pass came his way.

.@run_carri7 gets the pick!#GBvsCIN | #GoPackGo

📺: Packers TV Network + NFL Network pic.twitter.com/TVeCJILNTO

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) August 12, 2023

Valentine was already impressing the staff during training camp in the lead-up to Friday’s outing. But when your head coach is showering you with praise after just one preseason game, you know you’re doing something right.

“He’s got the skillset that you look for. He’s athletic, he’s long, and he competes. He’s not afraid, and I love that about him. He’s got a great demeanor. Think he is extremely coachable,” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said of Valentine postgame. “I think he’s been working really hard. And quite frankly, from the moment we’ve gotten him, he’s had a great attitude. Comes into work each and every day. You saw it early on and you continue to see it. The guy just shows up in practice and he makes plays and he competes. Really excited about what he can turn into and develop into.

“It’s only one game, he’s got to realize that, all these guys do. It’s only one game. You’ve got to go out and do it consistently, and that starts by your practice habits and hopefully that translates to the field on game day.”

Green Bay has a deep cornerback room, headlined by the likes of Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas, Eric Stokes, and Keisean Nixon — all of whom will be ahead of Valentine in the pecking order this fall. But there will clearly be a role for the Archbishop Moeller product, who has a chip on his shoulder after slipping in the draft.

“Me being a seventh-round draft pick, I’m always going to go out there and prove people wrong and show teams made mistakes. That’s just how I’m wired,” Valentine said after the win. “I’m a competitor, I’m going to get after you. I’m going to tire you out. “I’m a real gritty dude. I’m not scared to run. I’m not scared to tackle. I’m not scared of how big you are. I’m going to go after you.”

Chris Rodriguez also made his NFL preseason debut

Although not as flashy as Valentine in his professional debut, former Kentucky running back Chris Rodriguez did what he does best: gain yards every single time he touches the ball. In a 17-15 win for Rodriguez’s Washington Commanders over the Cleveland Browns, C-Rod led both teams in rushing yards with 39 on just five attempts, good enough for a 7.8 yards per carry average. His longest rush of the day was a 12-yard gain.

According to Warren Sharp, Rodriguez rushed for at least five yards on four of his carries, good enough for an 80 percent success rate of at least five yards per touch — best among NFL running backs through the preseason so far.

Chris Rodriguez's longest run came off the back of a really good combo block with Trent Scott and Nolan Laufenberg pic.twitter.com/JAi4zZnULP

— Jamual (@LetMualTellit) August 12, 2023