There are just eight more days to go until the start of the 2026 NFL Draft, and mock drafts continue to fly in with regularity. One in particular is worth analyzing today, however, coming from Dane Brugler of The Athletic.
Perhaps no single draft analyst works harder to bring information to the public than Brugler. The editor of The Beast, which is widely considered the gold standard for draft guides, Brugler is uncommonly transparent with his information, which includes deep dives into over 200 prospects
in addition to testing results for nearly every potential draft pick.
Additionally, Brugler is tuned in to NFL teams’ approaches better than many other NFL analysts as well. These factors all combine to make his full 7-round mock draft worthy of attention, and Green Bay Packers fans would likely be ecstatic if next weekend falls the way he projects it to for the team.
Here’s are Brugler’s projected selections for Green Bay:
- #52: Dani Dennis-Sutton, EDGE, Penn State
- #84: Davison Igbinosun, CB, Ohio State
- #120: Febechi Nwaiwu, IOL, Oklahoma
- #153: Tim Keenan, DT, Alabama
- #160: Dametrious Crownover, OT, Texas A&M
- #201: Kaelon Black, RB, Indiana
- #236: Jaden Dugger, LB, Louisiana
- #255: Michael Heldman, EDGE, Central Michigan
This is Brugler at his best and he’s sending a few of APC’s favorite prospects to the Packers, starting off with Dennis-Sutton. As our Paul Noonan recently wrote, edge rushers with DDS’ combination of production and athleticism almost never fail in the NFL — and they’re rarely available after the first round. DDS is basically Danielle Hunter from an athletic perspective, but while Hunter was drafted 88th overall in large part due to having just 4.5 sacks in college, DDS had 8.5 sacks in each of the past two years. If he could put up a career even half as impressive as Hunter’s (seven years of double-digit sacks, including each of the last four seasons), that would be a tremendous investment.
Then at 84, the Packers get their cornerback in Igbinosun, the Buckeyes’ number one corner for the past two seasons. Yes, Igbinosun is a bit handsy and has drawn a lot of penalties in his career, but he’s also a big, physical, athletic player who would immediately fill a major need for the Packers and push for a starting job.
Starting off day three is Nwaiwu, who has played both guard and center at Oklahoma. The Packers certainly could use some more depth across the interior of the offensive line, and Nwaiwu’s play strength makes him an ideal candidate as the team continues to try to build a more powerful run-blocking unit. He’s also a high-character individual, as Brugler notes in The Beast: “‘First in, last out’ mentality — work ethic won’t be the culprit if he doesn’t make it.”
While Nwaiwu is not a widely known name just yet, astute Packers fans keeping an eye out for a run-stuffing nose tackle should be aware of Keenan, who might be a perfect fit for what the team needs on the defensive line. Keenan is all but assuredly just an early-down nose tackle who can clog up the middle, but that’s just what the Packers need; they have bodies to rush the passer on third downs, but Keenan would give them that big body in the middle.
Next up is Crownover, an absolutely enormous tackle at 6-foot-7 and 319 pounds. A former tight end, he’s a raw player technically, but there are impressive physical tools there for him to develop. It’s not crazy to think that he could be a quality swing tackle in a year or two, though he was almost exclusively a right tackle in college.
Where Brugler really shows his understanding of the Packers’ draft philosophy is with the last few picks. Green Bay is famous (or perhaps infamous) for using late-round picks on players who have taken formal visits with the team. Brugler sends three of this year’s visitors to Green Bay with the final three picks, starting with Indiana running back Kaelon Black. Let our Tyler Brooke explain why Black is a good fit for Green Bay, but adding a violent runner to help back up Josh Jacobs is certainly a strong possibility.
The 7th round projections then send hyper-athletic projects to the Packers. Dugger is a long, rangy linebacker who should start his career on special teams, while Heldman is one of this year’s most impressive athletes on the edge and has a nonstop motor. Both recently visited Green Bay and perfectly fit the type of player that the Packers like to draft late.
If the Packers end up with a class like this, Packers fans should be jumping for joy. This class would check every box the Packers need to address, and it generally does so with some of our favorite prospects in this year’s draft.
