The Green Bay Packers don’t have a first-round pick in the 2026 draft (or the 2027 draft for that matter), and there aren’t many mock drafts that are two rounds deep at this point in the draft cycle, so
our mock draft round-up won’t be nearly as consistent as it has been in other years. With that being said, it’s time to mock some mock drafts, as we’ll try to poke at whether some of the decisions that analysts are making for the Packers actually make sense this offseason.
So far, I’ve been able to find seven recent mock drafts that have a projection for Green Bay’s first selection in the draft, 52nd overall. Let’s hit on those.
ESPN: Christen Miller, DT, Georgia
The Packers needed to deal Kenny Clark to put their Micah Parsons trade package over the top, but his absence created a need. Miller is a dominant nose tackle prospect with 1-technique ability to shoot gaps and disrupt.
We’ll see what Miller weighs in at during the pre-draft process, but I believe that most scouts, based on conversations I’ve had, view Miller as more of a three-technique than a nose tackle. For what it’s worth, Georgia listed Miller at 310 pounds, less than either Nazir Stackhouse (327, nose tackle) or Warren Brinson (315, hybrid nose tackle and three-technique) measured in at last offseason. Both Stackhouse and Brinson came out of Georgia, for what it’s worth, as did Devonte Wyatt, who weighed in at 304 at the 2022 combine but seems to be playing above that weight at three-technique now.
I agree that nose tackle is a huge need for the Packers, but I’m not sure Miller is the best option to fit in at the position, considering how run-focused the defensive line will be if the defense is playing split-high safeties frequently, which is expected under new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.
NFL.com: Brandon Cisse, CB, South Carolina
This is a bit of a surprise, considering that most mock drafts have Cisse going in the first round. If he’s there, though, I get why Green Bay would turn in the selection, since they could use the help at outside cornerback.
When I watched Cisse, he looked like a safety playing cornerback, in both good and bad ways, but he’s only listed at 6’0” and 190 pounds, so he plays bigger than his frame. He’s more of a press zone cornerback who might not have the wiggle to do some of the things other cornerbacks in this class can do. Cornerback is sort of a pick your poison position, though, as there are few developed, well-rounded players coming out of the college game if you’re not taking one in the top-10.
Bonus: NFL.com had the Packers taking Mississippi nose tackle Zxavian Harris in the third round. Harris is a kick block specialist at a legit 6’7” and 320 pounds, but he also has a record that includes DUI, reckless driving, minor in possession, not using headlights, running a stop sign, domestic violence and obstructing arrest. Green Bay usually doesn’t take swings on guys with off-field issues, so I’m gonna assume he won’t be a Packer.
Bucs Wire: Monroe Freeling, OL, Georgia
I’m not exactly sure what this solves. I guess if Freeling is the pick, it probably means that he’s playing left tackle, which means that Jordan Morgan is probably playing left guard. The only way that happens is if the Packers move on from Aaron Banks before his $9.5 million bonus on March 13th. I’m not sure that happens, and I don’t like the idea of Morgan moving back to guard, either.
Tankathon: Malik Muhammad, CB, Texas
Muhammad is a little smaller than the Packers usually like, at short of 6’0” and 183 pounds. Green Bay rarely dips below the 195-pound range at the position, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I think what could offset his smaller frame is that Muhammad should be a good scheme fit for Gannon’s defense, as he has good movement skills and click-and-close ability, which I believe will be the defining trait of the success of cornerbacks under Gannon.
Bonus: Tankathon has Green Bay drafting big Cincinnati nose tackle Dontay Corleone in the third round, which makes sense if he can clear the medical hurdle of his blood clot issue, which was discovered ahead of the 2024 season. They also have the Packers drafting Brian Parker II of Duke, a college right tackle who will most likely move to center at the professional level, in the fourth round. I do not hate the idea of going with those three positions with Green Bay’s first three picks.
The Athletic: Domonique Orange, DT, Iowa State
“Big Citrus,” Iowa State’s explosive interior big man who can play multiple spots along the front, could go a long way toward replacing what Green Bay lost in Kenny Clark.
Now here’s a true blue nose tackle, as Orange is listed at 325 pounds by Iowa State. Orange played in a college system where the nose tackle was expected to clog up rushing lanes, which should be pretty similar to what Green Bay will ask of the position, no matter if Gannon plays a 3-4 or 4-3 base front. Orange also has some athleticism that could turn into pass-rushing production, now that he won’t be in a three-high safety scheme. Iowa State’s most common defense involved just a five-man box, rather than the seven-man and six-man boxes that are more prevalent at the NFL level, so he was never really “turned loose” with the Cyclones.
Walter Football: Keylan Rutledge, iOL, Georgia Tech
The Packers could stand to add another interior blocker to help them against some of the great defensive lines.
Keylon Rutledge is a strong lineman who run blocks at a high level.
In scouting circles, Georgia Tech’s Rutledge is getting some buzz as a potential center convert after a strong week at the Senior Bowl, where he did well at the position. The truth of the matter is, this isn’t a great center class, and most of these programs don’t play their top linemen at the center position, so a lot of the future starters are going to be positional converts moving forward. I actually really like the scheme fit, since the offense really is based on the inside run and has been for the last two seasons. If you can’t reestablish the line of scrimmage consistently, the offense won’t be consistent, either. We all saw how the 2025 season played out.
Georgia Tech lived in the running game, particularly the inside run, during Rutledge’s time with the team. Even the Yellow Jackets’ quarterback, Haynes King, ran 185 times for 953 yards and 15 scores. Much of that was off plays like quarterback power, inside runs where King was used as a sledgehammer, not on scrambles. Rutledge has been a first-team all-conference for the last three seasons, was named a first-team All-American in 2025 and also earned the 2025 Brian Piccolo Award after bouncing back from a truck crash that led to an infection, multiple surgeries and took seven months to recover from.
Fansided: Keionte Scott, CB, Miami
I’m fairly certain that if Scott is the pick, there will be a riot in Green Bay. If the Packers finally take a Day 2 cornerback, but he’s primarily a slot defender, after the conversions of Nate Hobbs and Keisean Nixon to the outside, people are going to lose their minds.
One scouting service lists Scott’s snaps played in 2025 as follows: 553 snaps in the slot, 59 at off-ball linebacker, 40 on the edge, 38 at safety and just 5 at outside cornerback. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler recently ranked Scott as a safety, but he’s truthfully more of a nickelback than either a cornerback or a safety. We have already invested too much at the nickel position after Hobb’s $48 million contract and the second-round selection of Javon Bullard. Adding another body to the mix, at the cost of a second-round pick, would be insane.
