One of the oddest pieces of the Green Bay Packers’ run-up to the 2026 NFL Draft was a recent report by Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated that the team had held a Top-30 formal visit with an unknown, unnamed quarterback. What made the report especially odd is that Huber said he was “asked not to report” the name of said quarterback.
However, Huber has revealed the name of that individual, either through his own reporting or with the Packers’ blessing. That player is not a highly-ranked prospect as some
had speculated, but rather one who is more likely to be a priority undrafted free agent signing than to hear his name called this weekend.
Enter Kyron Drones out of Virginia Tech.
Drones fits the mold of the hyper-athletic dual-threat quarterback that the Packers have had backing up Jordan Love in recent years. At a well-built 6-foot-1 5/8 and 226 pounds, Drones posted a RAS of 9.58 thanks to an impressive Pro Day workout that saw him run the 40-yard dash in 4.62 seconds and put up a 10-foot broad jump.
He put that athleticism to work as the Hokies’ primary starter over the past three years, averaging more than 10 carries and 50 rushing yards per game. In total, he put up 1,847 yards on the ground on 442 carries with 22 touchdowns for his career. Those numbers are even more impressive when remembering that college football counts sack yardage against a quarterback’s rushing total and understanding that Virginia Tech’s offensive line struggled to protect Drones — they ranked 99th in FBS with 29 sacks allowed last season.
Drones surely seems to need work as a passer, however. He completed fewer than 60 percent of his pass attempts over his career and although that rate was affected somewhat by being under pressure consistently. Huber notes that he was the most-pressured quarterback in FBS last year according to PFF, but those passing numbers remain a significant concern.
Given Drones’ ranking on media big boards — he is ranked 424th overall on the consensus draft board and is the 27th-ranked quarterback by Dane Brugler — expect him to go undrafted this weekend. The Packers seem to be poised to look at him as a free agent signing to be a developmental option. Perhaps by trying to keep his name out of the news, the Packers were hoping to keep his Top-30 visit as a UDFA recruiting pitch and avoid putting him squarely on other teams’ radars.
In any case, keep a close eye out for Drones’ name when those undrafted signings start trickling in on Saturday evening.
