The Green Bay Packers are going through a defensive coordinator change this offseason, and it might be felt the most at the defensive line position when it’s all said and done. Hopefully, that means good things for the Packers, who had an elite first-quarter defense in 2025 but were one of the worst in the league from quarters two through four.
On top of that, the nose tackle position has been a revolving door for Green Bay for the past couple of seasons. Will this be the draft where they finally
lock down the position? Do they already have their answer on the roster? Let’s take a look at where the Packers’ defensive line room stands today and what the draft could bring Green Bay.
Packers Defensive Line Depth Chart
- Devonte Wyatt (should be back on the field by June)
- Javon Hargrave
- Karl Brooks
- Warren Brinson
- Nazir Stackhouse
- Jonathan Ford
- Jordon Riley (likely to miss at least most of 2026 with an Achilles tendon tear)
- James Ester
- Anthony Campbell
- Jaden Crumedy
- Dante Barnett (international player)
With the Packers transitioning to a 3-4 defense quarters-based system under defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, the team is going to look to be run-first on the line of scrimmage. For perspective, it’s not uncommon for Gannon to play a 280-pound edge rusher on the field, which is why we have Lukas Van Ness counted as an edge rusher, not a defensive lineman, in the depth chart above.
This offseason, the Packers moved on from 2025 starting nose tackle Colby Wooden in their trade for linebacker Zaire Franklin. Green Bay lost two other nose tackles, Kenny Clark and T.J. Slaton, before the 2025 season.
The big questions that linger right now are:
- Is Javon Hargrave going to be a nose tackle, like he was last year in Minnesota, or a three-technique, like he was previously for Gannon?
- Has Nazir Stackhouse done enough to warrant a roster spot for 2026?
These questions will likely be answered on draft day by the Packers’ actions, as Green Bay will need to add talent somewhere on the line. There’s potential for them to double-dip at the position, depending on what they think of Stackhouse.
Defensive Line Consensus Draft Board Rankings
- #29: Peter Woods, Clemson
- #31: Kayden McDonald, Ohio State
- #38: Caleb Banks, Florida
- #46: Christen Miller, Georgia (pre-draft visitor)
- #49: Lee Hunter, Texas Tech
- #67: Domonique Orange, Iowa State
- #72: Gracen Halton, Oklahoma
- #80: Darrell Jackson Jr., Florida State
- #112: Kaleb Proctor, Southeast Louisiana (pre-draft visitor)
- #114: Chris McClellan, Missouri
- #118: Zxavian Harris, Mississippi
- #125: Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati
- #129: Zane Durant, Penn State
- #132: Rayshaun Benny, Michigan
- #136: DeMonte Capehart, Clemson
- #143: Tim Keenan III, Alabama
- #156: Tyler Onyedim, Texas A&M
- #167: Nick Barrett, South Carolina
- #179: Landon Robinson, Navy
- #195: Albert Regis, Texas A&M
- #215: Cameron Ball, Arkansas
- #229: Brandon Cleveland, NC State
- #231: Bryson Eason, Tennessee
- #239: Jordan van den Berg, Georgia Tech (pre-draft visitor)
- #248: David Gusta, Kentucky
- #250: Rene Konga, Louisville
- #251: Deven Eastern, Minnesota
The Packers have brought in an interesting mix of players at the position as pre-draft visitors. Christen Miller of Georgia split time between three-technique and nose tackle at the college level, while Southeast Louisiana’s Kaleb Proctor is a true three-tech-only type of penetrating player and Georgia Tech’s Jordan van den Berg is an athletic nose tackle. It doesn’t seem like the team is looking for just one specific type of player at the position.
Green Bay is also reportedly bringing in Anterio Thompson of Washington on a visit, who previously had stints at Iowa Western C.C. (a JuCo powerhouse), Iowa and Western Michigan. He’s from Madison, Wisconsin, so it’s uncertain right now whether he was brought in for the Packers’ local pro day (which would not count against their 30 visits) or if he was a legitimate solo visitor. Last year, Thompson was a part-time starter for the Huskies.
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Is there a player you want the Packers to target at the position? Some of my favorites, at least for how they’re ranked on the consensus board, are Iowa State’s Domonique Orange, Oklahoma’s Gracen Halton and Clemson’s DeMonte Capehart. It’s also worth noting that Green Bay was one of the few teams that made it out to Orange’s private workout, as he essentially held his own pro day last week after missing workouts at both the draft and Iowa State’s pro day due to a quad injury he was working through.
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