GREEN BAY, Wis. — If there’s anyone who knows just what the Green Bay Packers are getting in Nate Hobbs, their newly-acquired cornerback, it’s Josh Jacobs.

Both players signed lucrative free-agent deals with the Packers in back-to-back off-seasons—the Packers brought Jacobs aboard with a $48 million dollar deal last spring and Hobbs followed suit last month with a $50 million dollar deal of his own. Jacobs, a former first-round pick, played alongside Hobbs for three seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders before departing in free agency.

Rather than retain Jacobs, who surpassed 1,300 yards from scrimmage in three of his five seasons with the Raiders, team brass opted to let him walk, ultimately serving as the Packers’ succession plan after moving on from Aaron Jones. Jacobs helped play a role in what appeared to be a renaissance at the running back position—once deemed as obsolete—last year with Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry both joining new teams and finishing as the league’s two rushing leaders.

Despite Jones’ undersized frame, standing at 5’9″ and 208 pounds, he left some sizable shoes for Jacobs to fill. After seven seasons, he ranks third and fourth on the Packers’ all-time rushing list in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, respectively.

However, Jacobs ensured that the Packers’ rushing attack didn’t skip a beat. He totaled 1,671 yards from scrimmage in his first season with the Packers, 1,329 of which came on the ground and a single-season high of 15 rushing touchdowns.

He also hauled in his first career receiving score to pair with his 342 yards through the air. Jacobs was one of two running backs in 2024 to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards despite averaging less than one yard before contact, joining the Tennessee Titans’ Tony Pollard.

So far, the Packers are reaping the benefits of acquiring a former league rushing leader. Now, they’re hoping lightning can strike twice with another ex-Raider.

“Nate Hobbs is a Swiss Army knife, that’s the best way I can explain him,” Jacobs said in an exclusive interview with Packer Report. “He’s a guy that’s not afraid of contact and one of the few defensive backs that isn’t scared to put his face in the sand.”

Jacobs is in Green Bay this week for the 2025 NFL Draft, but he’ll also be helping host a USAA Salute to Service Event before the start of the first round.

Jacobs will team up with Clay Matthews III, who played 10 seasons in Green Bay and finished second on the Packers’ all-time sack list, to honor the Wisconsin National Guard and the military community. Both players’ families have extensive backgrounds serving in the military.

“It’s an honor, honestly,” Jacobs says. “To give back to the people that sacrificed so much for us to be able to have the basic necessities and needs we have, it’s always an honor for me to be able to give back and do anything for them.”

Hobbs was one of the Packers’ two lucrative free-agent acquisitions, the other being Aaron Banks, who figures to open the season as their starting left guard. Hobbs figures to be a starter, too, but he’s such a versatile defender that it’s difficult to pinpoint just where he’ll fit just yet.

In four seasons with the Raiders, he’s predominantly played in the slot with the exception of the 2022 season when he logged 500 snaps on the perimeter. In 2021, 2023 and 2024, Hobbs has played a grand total of 1,556 snaps as the Raiders’ nickel back. That position isn’t exactly up for grabs in Green Bay—Javon Bullard, a second-round pick last year, gradually assumed the job throughout the duration of his rookie season.

Bullard was targeted 57 times last season, allowing 48 receptions for 487 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Opposing quarterbacks had a 119.8 passer rating when targeting his coverage, according to Pro Football Focus.

That’s in comparison to Hobbs, who allowed a 67.4 completion percentage for 280 yards, three touchdowns, one interception and three pass break-ups for a 96.3 opposing passer rating. It’d be uncharacteristic for the Packers to pull the plug on Bullard’s job so soon, so Hobbs will likely start on the boundary opposite Keisean Nixon.

“He can play corner, he can play in the slot and he can guard both just as good,” Jacobs said. “He’s just one of those guys, man. Him and ‘X’ playing together, I’m excited to see that and how it’s going to look. They’re one of the same—mentality and the way they think, the way they go about working, willing to give and put in extra time, willing to compete every day. Those are the types of guys we need.

“If we have a team full of those guys, we’re going to be able to accomplish a lot. I think he’s going to be a big addition to our team.”

Three days before signing Jacobs, the Packers kicked off their free-agent spending by issuing a four-year, $67 million dollar contract to Xavier McKinney—or ‘X’ as many, including Jacobs, refer to him as.

Hobbs, who turns 26 in June, has been mostly dependable throughout his career. He’s missed four games in each of the past two seasons with an ankle injury, but the Packers shouldn’t face any durability concerns with him.

If you want a testament to the kind of player the Packers added to their secondary and you’re not quite sold on Jacobs’ stamp of approval, you can look no further than his rookie season. Before even playing a down, tests revealed that Hobbs sustained a torn labrum prior to the season.

The Raiders’ medical staff gave him the option to undergo surgery, which would’ve shut him down for the entirety of his 2021 rookie campaign.

Rather than go under the knife, Hobbs played through the year with the injury and appeared in 16 games with nine starts. He finished with an interception to go along with 74 tackles, which is his second-most in a single season to this day.