GREEN BAY – Brandon Cisse remembers the scouting reports that questioned his football IQ. He calls them a "misunderstanding."
Interesting choice of words, as the Packers rookie cornerback has made those reports look silly through the first seven games of his NFL career, no more so than on a big fourth down last Sunday in Detroit.
With the Lions up by three points and looking to make it a two-score game, they went for it on fourth-and-5 from the Green Bay 6-yard line. Quarterback Jared Goff fired to the back of the end zone for receiver Jameson Williams, who jumped to snag the ball in front of the goalpost.
Only Cisse didn't let him come down, alertly shoving him beyond the end line to make the pass incomplete. No score, Packers ball.
"I squeezed (the route), but as soon as I seen him go in the air, you just kind of have a feel for where you're at on the field and I just realized, hey, it's a back endline dig, if he still has to come down with this …," Cisse said. "I could've easily went up there and punched the ball out or challenged the ball, but why do all that when I can literally catch him in the air and take him out of bounds? Just kind of thinking on the fly."
It's not just the football smarts possessed by the Packers' top draft pick, chosen in the second round at No. 52 overall, that have impressed. It's his resiliency, too.
Four snaps prior to the fourth-down play, he had an interception nullified by a questionable pass interference penalty when he was engaged with Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown as Goff released the ball.
Cisse considered it two-way contact, but because St. Brown got his hands inside of Cisse's, and his were on the outside, Cisse got flagged.
Getting the pick taken away, which would've been his second in as many games after his first against Dallas QB Dak Prescott, was a tough break. But he didn't let it bother him.
On the ensuing third down, he was running with Williams on an out route toward the far side of the end zone and broke that up, setting the stage for his heads-up play on fourth down.
To his credit, he was able to shake off the frustration of the INT that wasn't and still come up big for the defense.
"Because every play has its own story," Cisse said of his mindset. "I know what kind of talent that I can be and how dynamic of a player I can be. I can change a game at any moment. Just kind of letting those things go. When they come back at you, try to make them pay. I'm kind of frustrated I didn't pick off that one in the corner of the end zone."
Cisse's efforts kept the Packers in that game all the way to the end, and it capped a two-game stretch in which he was dealing with two of the more notable receiving tandems in the league – the Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, followed by the Lions' St. Brown and Williams.
Thursday night's task is Carolina's Tet McMillan and Jalen Coker. McMillan is the Panthers' clear No. 1, as the No. 8 overall pick in the 2025 draft has 36 catches for 511 yards and two TDs this season.
"They're big guys who can run," Cisse said. "They're really twitched up at the top of the route and they've got great hands and they're super competitive."
So is Cisse, who's tied for second on the team with six passes defensed thus far, one behind team leader Javon Bullard. He earned a starting job during training camp by displaying a steadiness and comfort level that belie his rookie status.
Some of it comes naturally, but plenty is earned. Cisse has an office space at home where he studies whatever's required on a daily basis – the playbook, his upcoming matchups, or how other corners have played them.
As a rookie, he hasn't felt as though he's gotten picked on by opposing QBs, but he's ready for any approach that might be tried.
"I always think I'm getting tested," he said. "Even the elite corners will tell you that. When you get lazy in this league and you don't think the ball's coming at you, is usually when the ball is going to come at you, and that's when you're going to look stupid because you're being lazy on the back side of plays."
His rookie season isn't even half over, so he doesn't feel he's accomplished anything yet. The humble and well-spoken South Carolina product never acts as though he's arrived, and he concludes the answer to just about every question with some reference to learning, growing and/or improving.
He appreciates the diligence cornerbacks coach Daniel Bullocks demands with the weekly preparation, and he feels he's a natural fit for coordinator Jonathan Gannon's system with Gannon's background as a defensive backs coach.
He plays older than he is, as he has both a mind and mindset that are older as well.
"I think sometimes people say they feel like a rookie, and it's like 'Aw, he's a rookie,' so you make excuses for him," Cisse said. "I don't look for any excuses for the plays I go out there and play. I don't look at it like that."
