Carrington Valentine

Carrington Jadon Valentine (born September 9, 2001) is an American football cornerback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Kentucky.

Early years
Valentine grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. He attended Moeller High School and was a basketball and football player, helping the school win a state championship in the former. In football, he was only a wide receiver and special teams player until his junior year, when he began playing cornerback as well. By the time he graduated, Valentine was ranked as one of the 100-best cornerback recruits nationally, as well as a top-25 player in the state according to Rivals.com. He committed to play college football at Kentucky over offers from Cincinnati, Michigan State, Louisville and Pittsburgh, among others.

College career
As a true freshman at Kentucky in 2020, Valentine appeared in 10 games and totaled 10 tackles, one pass breakup and a fumble recovery. The following year, he started 12 of 13 games and ranked fourth on the team with 61 tackles, additionally posting five pass breakups, 1.5 tackles-for-loss and one sack. In 2022, Valentine remained a starter and recorded 10 pass breakups, 46 tackles, one fumble recovery and one sack, while also making the only interception of his college career against Youngstown State. Although he had eligibility remaining, he opted to declare for the NFL draft, and finished his stint at Kentucky with 117 tackles and 16 pass breakups in 35 games played.

Professional career
Valentine was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round (232nd overall) of the 2023 NFL draft. He signed his rookie contract on May 5.