Packers rookie is already doing things he rarely did in college

Green Bay Packers rookie cornerback Carrington Valentine recorded just one interception during his entire collegiate career, but it didn't take him long to snag his first NFL pick - even if it was in practice.

And, to make things even better: it was a pick-six.

For Valentine, however, it didn't matter if he rarely intercepted opposing quarterbacks at Kentucky. He's always had the confidence in his abilities.

"I still feel like even though I didn't have a lot of interceptions in college, I had a knack for the ball," Valentine told reporters after practice . "So, I'm showing that, you know, we here now [and] I'm just displaying it."

The Packers have stiff competition in the cornerback room. The top-4 jobs are already set with Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas, Keisean Nixon, and Eric Stokes in the mix. Including Valentine, there are seven more players fighting for one, maybe two, of the remaining cornerback jobs.

So, Valentine is going to have to make plays like he did on Monday if he wants a shot at earning a job. Obviously, he couldn't have picked a better time than on the first day of (half) pads.

Sure enough, the play -along with his body of work, thus far- has caught the attention of the Packers coaching staff.

"He's extremely athletic [and he] has made those splash plays. I love how he competes," Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters Tuesday . "He goes out there and he's going to challenge it. You can coach him hard [and] he's receptive to the coaching. I think we have a good young player right there. So, I'm excited to see what he's able to do when we get into some of these competitive practices going against, a team like Cincinnati next week and some of the creatures they have on that offense and then into the preseason games, and certainly we're only on one day in pads, but I think he's got a great attitude...

"... I think he's very, very talented and he's got to continue to build on his early success."

The path is clear for Valentine, it's just all about staying on said path, at this point. But he knows that and he's going to do everything he can in order to make sure he's on that final 53.

"I'm a competitor so I'm gonna go out there and compete," said Valentine. "And just know, wherever the chips lie, I'm gonna make you work, now. That's how that's how I feel about it...

"... [I think] that I can make an impact on this team. Either on special teams or being out there at corner - one way or another."

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Featured image via Seeger Gray/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin