As we sit in the dead zone between rookie minicamp and the start of OTAs, I thought it might be a good time to examine the Packers’ recent draft class through a specific lens. If you read my three part series on Substack that examines GMs across the league in regards to talent acquisition and capital efficiency, you’ll know that my comparative analysis revealed two things that the most successful general managers do notably better than their peers: draft contributing role-players and find lightning-in-a-bottle All-Pro seasons. To clarify, I define role-players as any player that manages an NFL career longer than the standard four-year rookie contract even if that player is nothing more than a backup (Gutekunst has proven surprisingly inept at even this low bar, with 46% of his picks out of the league before their rookie deals end).
The lightning-in-a-bottle All-Pro seasons are best represented by one-hit wonders like ILB D’vondre Campbell, and finding guys like this surprisingly correlates with more playoff success than fielding perennial superstars does, though the multi-time All-Pros certainly don’t hurt. Still, knowing how valuable one-off career years can be ought to open a team up to taking more risks on college players who’ve produced elite seasons but pose long-term risks due to injury concerns, advanced age, off-the-field issues, poorly-timed regression, and so on. Traitsy underwear olympians who’ve never shown anything on tape are not the type of risks good GMs should be taking. So with that little revelation out of the way, what can we make of the Packers’ 2026 draft class and whether or not they’ll help push the team deeper into the post-season tournament?
Round 2: Brandon Cisse - CB
Does he have a high likelihood of at least being a contributing role-player?
Yes. There are risk factors such as a seeming lack of ball instincts, poor tackling technique, and a need for more technical development, but the main thing that stands out when you watch Cisse’s tape is just how sticky he is in coverage, and against good competition. He has the hip fluidity, speed, and all-around athleticism to be in a receiver’s pocket all game long and that will earn him snaps, especially when the team goes to man-coverage. Furthermore, Cisse has demonstrated the versatility to play the boundary or the slot, and while his tackling form needs work, he is NOT afraid to stick his nose in the running game. Perhaps most importantly, the coaching staff’s lack of trust in Carrington Valentine and the likelihood that Keisean Nixon’s average production and advancing age convince Green Bay to move on next year give Cisse a clear runway to meaningful snaps early in his career.
Does he realistically have the potential for his best year to be an All-Pro year?
Yes. By all accounts, he’s a “football junkie” who’s always studying the game, and when you pair that with his elite athletic gifts, the potential is there to eventually be a true shutdown CB who shadows the opponent’s top receiver. His lack of interceptions is concerning, and he doesn’t have the blanketing length of a guy like Sauce Gardner, but Jaire Alexander was a small CB who made All-Pro without a ton of interceptions based on how sticky and aggressive he was.
Round 3: Chris McClellan - DT
Does he have a high likelihood of at least being a contributing role-player?
Maybe. He’s got an NFL frame, played against quality competition, and is very versatile with where he can slot in on the line, but I think he would have been drafted a lot later in a stronger year for DTs. He’s talked about a lot as a run stuffer, but he’s not a Jordan Davis style nose tackle. He’s actually pretty close in size to Kenny Clark, but my eye tells me that Clark has a lot more “sand in the pants,” as they say. His pass rush upside is mentioned as something that could keep him on the field for three downs, but I just don’t believe that he has the quick-twitch explosiveness to beat NFL caliber blockers in the way that he did in college. I suspect he’ll be more of a high-effort disruptor who moves the pocket than a true sack-artist like Chris Jones. More concerning than any of that is how often he plays with high pad-level that will get him completely neutralized at the professional level. Having said all of that, he’s got the physical tools to at least be a rotational defensive tackle in this league and could certainly provide more push up the middle than Colby Wooden ever gave. He’ll also have plenty of opportunity for early snaps given how thin and injury-prone the Packers’ D-Line is.
Does he realistically have the potential for his best year to be an All-Pro year?
Not likely. I can’t say that I ever see it happening. Maybe if the coaching staff gets him to master his pad level, develop a repertoire of counter-moves, and add more strength he could make it to a Pro-Bowl level of play with a few years of refinement.
Round 4: Dani Dennis-Sutton - EDGE
Does he have a high likelihood of at least being a contributing role-player?
Yes. Everybody’s heard about DDS’ historic RAS score putting him in the company of players like Myles Garrett and TJ Watt, but this guy is a football player, not just a track star. The risks are a lack of natural bend around the corner, a lack of counter-moves, and that he misses more tackles than you’d like, but his elite length, strength, and explosion make him a force at setting the edge in the run game who’s ready to take snaps now. The Green Bay defense was not good at stopping the run last year and they’re even weaker now that they’ve lost two EDGE players who specialized in neutralizing the run game, trading Rashan Gary and letting Kingsley Enagbare walk in free agency. Dennis-Sutton is going to take those early-down snaps and never look back. Oh, and he also has a freakish knack for blocking kicks on special teams; when’s the last time you saw the Packers block a kick?
Does he realistically have the potential for his best year to be an All-Pro year?
Yes! Listen, DDS is my favorite pick in this draft. He has every physical tool you could ask for, he’s got a motor that runs hot, and he’s played against quality competition. Micah Parsons is going to teach him a counter-move or two before their time together is done. And while he’s never going to be a gymnast, flexibility can be improved with training: get this guy in daily yoga and dance classes and he’ll become flexible enough to be the double-digit sack power-EDGE that Preston Smith served as and that Gute thought he was getting with Rashan Gary.
Round 5: Jager Burton - IOL
Does he have a high likelihood of at least being a contributing role-player?
Yes. Burton has a ton of experience at every interior offensive line position, he’s faced quality competition, and he’s an absolutely elite athlete. He’s also incredibly durable. Yes, he has short arms and will never be the strongest center in the league, but his versatility and experience practically guarantee that he’ll see snaps when one of Aaron Banks, Sean Rhyan, or Anthony Belton gets injured. I think that his proven durability in college already gives him a leg up over current injury-prone backups like Jacob Monk, Travis Glover, and John Williams. That said, I do think he’ll need a year in an NFL weight room before seriously challenging for a starting role.
Does he realistically have the potential for his best year to be an All-Pro year?
Maybe. I’m not certain he’ll ever be a cream of the crop All-Pro mauler, but I do think his top-end athleticism gives him a chance to develop into a Pro Bowl level zone blocking center whose exceptional mirroring ability will keep his quarterback clean in the pass game. And even though he’s not yet a force in the run game, he’s actually the biggest center Green Bay has lined up since before Brett Favre was taking snaps, so it is possible that he could one day top the well-rounded game of two-time All-Pro Corey Linsley.
Round 6: Domani Jackson - CB
Does he have a high likelihood of at least being a contributing role-player?
Not likely. He’s an elite athlete and had a solid 2024 season, but he got benched in 2025. He’s grabby, relies on athleticism instead of technique, and doesn’t have a ton of ball production. He doesn’t display great instincts either. He’s not better than Nixon, Valentine, St. Juste, or Cisse. Is he better than converted WR and Matt LaFleur favorite Bo Melton? Frankly, I see a red-shirt year ahead with the hope that professional level coaching can develop him into a physical zone boundary-CB when the defensive backfield starts to thin out over the next year or two. That said, it’s not like Alabama is some D-III program that couldn’t give Jackson the training he needed to succeed. This pick is Gutekunst betting everything on Jackson’s 2024 season.
Does he realistically have the potential for his best year to be an All-Pro year?
Not likely. I just don’t see the instincts or hip fluidity to erase the Justin Jeffersons of the world. And if you look into the kind of CBs that come out of the sixth round of the draft, you might be surprised to learn that former Packer Al Harris has a bid to be one of the best in league history, though he wasn’t a full-time starter until his third NFL team and sixth year in the league. He did indeed make a second-team All-Pro once, so there’s hope yet for Domani Jackson!
Round 6: Trey Smack - K
Does he have a high likelihood of at least being a contributing role-player?
Yes. I’m not going to pretend that anybody on earth has any real clue how college kickers will turn out in the pros, but after the Packers decided to roll the dice on one of the two remaining seasons before the cap monster smashes their shoddy championship window shut by cutting veteran Brandon McManus, Trey Smack is all but guaranteed to decide wins and losses by the tip of his toe for at least one year. Let’s hope he’s got the right stuff.
Does he realistically have the potential for his best year to be an All-Pro year?
Yes? Once again, nobody has any clue how college specialists will turn out. I love that he’s got a big leg, high trajectory (fewer blocks!), and has been fairly accurate; I don’t love that he’s a warm weather player and that he’s had a game where he missed three kicks. Only time will tell if he’s the next Mason Crosby or Anders Carlson.
Conclusion
There are no sure-fire All-Pros in this draft class, but those are hard to come by when your first pick comes on Day 2. That said, there’s realistic potential for at least three of these kids to have the kind of year that defines a team’s season. More importantly, I feel confident that at least four of the six picks will carve out contributing roles and likely even surpass the quality of the departed players they’re replacing. The Packers are going to need that kind of success if they want to advance further than the Wild Card round.