It was a tall order for a player who saw mainly special teams action in 2016, thanks largely to a disastrous lapse in coverage that allowed Detroit's Marvin Jones to score a 73-yard touchdown in Week 3.
But a new season is a clean slate, and Hawkins took his challenge in stride, putting together an impressive performance against Washington. It was so impressive, in fact, that head coach Mike McCarthy said Hawkins received the highest grade of all the Packers' corners in that game.
Slotting in as a starting corner meant that Hawkins was facing Washington's first-string offense—including quarterback Kirk Cousins, tight end Vernon Davis, wideout Terrelle Pryor, and running back Robert Kelley—and he shut down a handful of plays meant for them.