Alright, let’s dip a toe into the 2026 NFL Draft waters, now that the Green Bay Packers’ season is officially over. As a reminder, the Packers are out their first-round pick because of the Micah Parsons trade, but the team will have two extra draft choices because of compensatory picks for free agents they lost last offseason.
Generally, Green Bay really does act as if they’re drafting off of “best player available,” rather than to fill immediate needs. Over the 20-plus years after the front office
seized back power from head coach Mike Sherman (the Packers’ last outside hire at general manager was 1992 with Ron Wolf), even rookie first-round picks have only started an average of six games in Green Bay. Immediate impact simply is not the driving force for the Packers on draft day.
With that in mind, though, let’s look at the holes on the roster, at least on the first line of the depth chart, if they were to go in that direction (and sometimes, the shoe just fits for an immediate impact rookie).
Projected Packers 2026 Offensive Starters
- QB: Jordan Love
- RB: Josh Jacobs
- WR: Christian Watson
- WR: Dontayvion Wicks/Matthew Golden
- Slot: Jayden Reed
- TE: Tucker Kraft (ACL tear, should be back by Week 1)
- LT: Jordan Morgan
- LG: Aaron Banks
- C: Jacob Monk
- RG: Anthony Belton
- RT: Zach Tom (patellar tendon tear, should be back by Week 1)
With offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins expected to be a cap casualty, the biggest question on offense right now is whether the team brings back center Sean Rhyan, who is set to be a 2026 free agent. The Packers don’t have a ton of cap space (effectively, they’ll have somewhere in the ballpark of $15 million after some expected moves, and they’ll also probably want to extend receiver Christian Watson and tight end Tucker Kraft this offseason, too), but they could bring Rhyan back if they really wanted to.
Outside of that, it’s hard to imagine that Green Bay will draft a Week 1 starter, barring injury, on offense this year. It’s sort of center or bust on offense.
(No, the team is not getting rid of Banks until at least 2027.)
Projected Packers 2026 Defensive Starters
- DE: Micah Parsons (ACL tear, expects to be back in the first month of 2026)
- DE: Lukas Van Ness
- 3T: Devonte Wyatt (fracture tibia, tore ankle ligaments, return TBD)
- NT: Colby Wooden
- Mike: Isaiah McDuffie
- Will: Edgerrin Cooper
- Sam: Ty’Ron Hopper
- CB: Keisean Nixon
- CB: Carrington Valentine/Nate Hobbs
- Slot: Javon Bullard/Nate Hobbs
- S: Xavier McKinney
- S: Evan Williams
This assumes that linebacker Quay Walker is gone (and defensive end Rashan Gary is a cap casualty), which is seeming more and more likely by the day. If the coaching staff returns, his end-of-year comments almost certainly hurt his chances at returning to the locker room.
As much as you guys don’t want to hear it, the plan will probably be to play Isaiah McDuffie at the Mike spot to replace Walker, as the team has given McDuffie every opportunity to replace Walker, when injured, over the more athletic Ty’Ron Hopper, a 2024 third-round pick. Hopper will likely backfill McDuffie as the team’s third linebacker in true 4-3 looks.
At cornerback, the team clearly likes the contract value they get from the Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine and Nate Hobbs deals. I expect the team to run it back with them and make them compete in 2026. Maybe they add another body at the position to add fuel to the competition (see: Diggs, Trevon), but I don’t think they’ll be in the market for a “true CB1”. (Spoiler: They have no intention of having cornerbacks travel or leaning into man coverage. They’ve played them left and right under defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. They really just want corners to cover the deepest man and the sidelines in zone, passing off everything short and/or inside to slot defenders and linebackers).
The big one, defensively, is nose tackle. The team did not go into the season thinking that Colby Wooden would be their starter at the position, but when a Micah Parsons trade appeared, they sent Kenny Clark to the Dallas Cowboys right before the regular season. To me, by far, this is the biggest need on the 2026 team, or at least what I think the team will see as their biggest need (your mileage will vary on the thoughts about the cornerback position).
This spot is the biggest reason for the Packers having such good defensive numbers in the first quarters of games and wearing down as games unfolded. The line was banged up, but they also didn’t have any nose tackle on the roster who actually had NFL experience starting at the position before 2025. They need to fix that in 2026.
Packers’ top draft needs in 2026
- Center (depending on whether Sean Rhyan is brought back)
- Nose Tackle
- Cornerback (I’ll throw you guys a bone here, but I think it’s genuinely less likely that the team addresses this position early on in the draft than is generally expected)
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So, what does the upcoming draft look like at these positions? Let’s take a look! All draft projections are based on the consensus draft board. We’re only going to look at the top 150-ish players here. After the top-150, it’s usually shaky projecting whether a player will even be drafted or not (the truth is the draft really turns into an extension of undrafted free agency after that range).
2026 NFL Draft Center Class
- #75 prospect: Connor Lew, Auburn (coming off a torn ACL)
- #87: Sheridan Wilson, Texas Tech (underclassman, has not declared)
- #95: Jake Slaughter, Florida
- #102: Parker Brailsford, Alabama (very small and the Packers are looking at bigger offensive linemen recently)
- #156: Matt Gulbin, Michigan State
- #160: Logan Jones, Iowa
For the most part, I think this is what we’re looking at in the draft, in terms of premium picks. It is not a good center class (one reason why you might want to pay Rhyan), and it hasn’t been helped by Oregon’s Iapani Laloulu (an expected top-100 selection) going back to school.
Keep an eye on the Sheridan Wilson situation, as he hasn’t made a decision one way or another.
For what it’s worth, the Packers visited Michigan State games twice this year, which seems odd. It’s not exactly like MSU was playing a strong slate (Youngstown State and Nebraska) those weeks, either. Usually, Green Bay only sends scouts multiple times in a season to a program if they have several prospects. Gulbin is Michigan State’s only prospect ranked in the top 300 of the consensus board right now, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s the guy they’re interested in.
After talking to scouting sources, I can tell you that the following players are not centers, but they are expected to be center-capable at the next level:
- #124: Brian Parker II, Duke
- #198: Trey Zuhn III, Texas A&M
You can add them to your watch lists, too.
2026 NFL Draft Defensive Tackle Class
#14: Peter Woods, Clemson#21: Kayden McDonald, Ohio State#30: Caleb Banks, Florida#39: Christen Miller, Georgia- #47: Lee Hunter, Texas Tech
- #81: Domonique Orange, Iowa State
- #85: Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati
- #92: Ahmad Moten Sr., Miami
- #108: Darrell Jackson Jr., Florida State
- #135: Tim Keenan III, Alabama
- #139: Zane Durant, Penn State (not a nose tackle)
- #147: Zxavian Harris, Mississippi
- #159: DeMonte Capehart, Clemson
I would be surprised if any of the top four defensive tackles in this class were available when the Packers were on the clock, based on how these players are talked about in scouting circles.
Personally, I’m a big fan of Orange, who played a true nose guard role for Iowa State in their 3-4 defense. He was originally a super recruit who got up to 400 pounds in the pandemic, leading to bigger schools pulling their offers. He has his weight under control now and is an elite athlete for his size.
Dontay Corleone is another true nose tackle. His big question mark is going to be his medical situation. They discovered blood clots in his lungs before his 2024 campaign. It appears that the situation is under control, but it’s certainly something teams are going to keep tabs on throughout the process.
Both of these nose tackles come with some pretty great nicknames. Orange goes by Big Citrus. Corleone goes by the Godfather.
I know a couple of these other defensive tackles are nose tackles (like Darell Jackson Jr.), and Penn State’s Zane Durant isn’t (played at sub-290 pounds this year), but I haven’t done a full deep dive into this class. After Capehart at #159, there isn’t another defensive tackle in the top-200 on the consensus board, for what that’s worth.
Unlike center, this position should be relatively deep.
2026 NFL Draft Cornerback Class
#13: Mansoor Delane, LSU#15: Jermod McCoy, Tennessee#19: Avieon Terrell, Clemson#31: Brandon Cisse, South Carolina#32: Colton Hood, Tennessee- #52: Chris Johnson, San Diego State
- #53: Keith Abney II, Arizona State (sub-5’10”)
- #59: Malik Muhammad, Texas
- #76: Keionte Scott, Miami (slot)
- #77: D’angelo Ponds, Indiana (underclassman, hasn’t declared, sub-5’10”)
- #83: Chandler Rivers, Duke (sub-5’10”)
- #88: Julian Neal, Arkansas
- #89: Devin Moore, Florida
- #97: Will Lee III, Texas A&M
- #104: Isaiah Brown-Murray, Virginia Tech (underclassman, hasn’t declared, sub-5’10”)
- #114: Davison Igbinosun, Ohio State
- #119: Tacario Davis, Washington
- #123: Daylen Everette, Georgia
- #125: Treydan Stukes, Arizona (slot)
- #133: Domani Jackson, Alabama
Five corners are expected to come off the board well before the Packers are picking at 52nd overall, so go ahead and mentally count those guys off your watch list already. After that, the top of the board gets a little tricky.
I haven’t done a ton of work on the corners, yet, but I do know that Green Bay is allergic to cornerbacks who are under 5’10” (the Ahmad Carroll bust in Mike Sherman’s last draft as general manager is a rallying cry in the building, as I’ve been told). That rules out a couple of guys, who are expected to come in short of 5’10”: Arizona State’s Keith Abney, Indiana’s D’angelo Ponds, Duke’s Chandler Rivers and Virginia Tech’s Isaiah Brown-Murray.
Beyond that, the Packers, if they’re going to take a true cornerback, need an outside cornerback, not a nickel defender. They already have plenty of guys with experience inside in cornerback Keisean Nixon, cornerback Nate Hobbs, safety Javon Bullard and safety Kitan Oladapo.
Two of these top draft prospects are also true nickelbacks, even at the college level. Miami’s Keionte Scott has played 500 nickel snaps compared to 2 cornerback snaps going into the national championship. Arizona’s Treydan Stukes has played 321 slot reps to 5 outside cornerback reps, too.
With all that being said, if I were going to invest my time trying to find a Packers cornerback draft choice, I would shorten the board to the following players:
- #52: Chris Johnson, San Diego State
- #59: Malik Muhammad, Texas
- #88: Julian Neal, Arkansas
- #89: Devin Moore, Florida
- #97: Will Lee III, Texas A&M
- #114: Davison Igbinosun, Ohio State
- #119: Tacario Davis, Washington
- #123: Daylen Everette, Georgia
- #133: Domani Jackson, Alabama
If they take one in the second round, it will probably be Johnson or Muhammad. That should cover the pool of Packers-like (not smaller than 5’10”) outside corners who should be available in the second through fifth(ish) rounds, Green Bay’s first four selections of the draft.
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On your mark, get set, scout.
