2026 NFL Draft Grade: Green Bay Packers -- C+

The Green Bay Packers entered the 2026 NFL Draft with a familiar problem: they had a roster built to contend in the NFC North, but several key positions needed an injection of young talent. According to the team's pre-draft evaluations, cornerback was the most pressing concern -- a critical need for a boundary player to start opposite the team's top cover man. Defensive tackle ranked as a high priority, given an aging front and thin depth. And on offense, center became a glaring question mark after the release of longtime starter Elgton Jenkins, a move that saved significant cap space but left a hole in the middle of the offensive line.

General manager Brian Gutekunst, head coach Matt LaFleur, and their scouting staff had six selections to work with, including picks acquired via trades with Tampa Bay, Atlanta (via Philadelphia), and Pittsburgh (via Seattle). The class they assembled is a story of extremes -- one of the best value picks in the entire draft, a pair of solid need-fillers, a cornerback taken well ahead of his projected range, and a final-round kicker that, frankly, never should have happened.

Let's break it down pick by pick.

Pick 52 (Round 2) -- Brandon Cisse, CB, South Carolina Grade: B (73.0)

The Packers got their cornerback in the second round, and Brandon Cisse fits the profile of what defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon wants on the boundary. Cisse is a press-man corner with the length and physicality to challenge receivers at the line, and his grade reflects fair value relative to where most evaluators had him ranked. The Packers have Keisean Nixon in the slot and Benjamin St-Juste as a veteran addition from free agency, but the boundary opposite their top corner was a glaring opening. Cisse steps into that competition with Carrington Valentine and Kamal Hadden. It is not a home-run swing, but it is a steady, sensible pick at a position of genuine need, and the grade reflects a solid second-round selection that moves the needle.

Pick 77 (Round 3) -- Chris McClellan, DT, Missouri Acquired via: From TB Grade: B (70.0)

The Packers traded into this spot and used it to address a defensive front that needed reinforcements. Chris McClellan is an interior disruptor who can operate as a one-technique or shade nose, and he gives the defensive line rotation a much-needed injection of youth alongside veterans like Javon Hargrave and Devonte Wyatt. The evaluation on McClellan is a B, and for good reason: he went right around where draft analysts expected him to come off the board, and he fills a need that was rated high in the pre-draft process. The Packers have struggled to generate consistent interior pressure in recent seasons, and McClellan's explosiveness off the snap should help change that equation. This is another solid, unspectacular selection that strengthens the roster without reaching.

Pick 120 (Round 4) -- Dani Dennis-Sutton, EDGE, Penn State Grade: B- (68.0)

This is where the class starts to get interesting. Dani Dennis-Sutton was a player many evaluators had graded higher than his draft slot suggests. The Penn State edge rusher slipped into the fourth round, and the Packers capitalized on the value. The grade dips slightly to a B- because Green Bay already has Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, and Micah Parsons (acquired in a trade) as core edge players, so this was not a high-priority need. But when a player of Dennis-Sutton's caliber falls into your lap, you take the swing. He adds quality depth as a rotational pass rusher and gives the Packers a developmental option behind a veteran group. It is a best-player-available move that makes the roster deeper even if it does not fill an urgent hole.

Pick 153 (Round 5) -- Jager Burton, C, Kentucky Acquired via: From ATL via PHI Grade: A+ (98.0)

This is the pick that saves the entire class. Jager Burton fell deep into the fifth round despite being rated much higher by the predraft community, and the Packers pounced. Center was a clear hole on the roster after Jenkins' departure. The team had Jacob Monk as the only center on the roster, and while Monk is a capable backup, Green Bay needed a long-term answer at the pivot. Burton is a mauler in the run game with the movement skills to execute LaFleur's wide-zone scheme, and he represents one of the biggest value steals of the entire 2026 draft.

An A+ grade is rare in this exercise, and it is fully deserved here. The Packers addressed their most glaring offensive need with a starting-caliber player in the fifth round. If Burton develops into the starter he was projected to be, this selection will be remembered as the cornerstone of the entire haul. General manager Brian Gutekunst deserves significant credit for identifying the value and moving to secure it with the Atlanta/Philadelphia pick.

Pick 201 (Round 6) -- Domani Jackson, CB, Alabama Grade: D (43.0)

The grade drop-off here is steep and warranted. Domani Jackson is a talented athlete with good length and press-man traits, and the Packers clearly wanted to double down at cornerback. But Jackson was rated well outside the top 200 picks by most analysts, and Green Bay took him roughly 50 spots earlier than expected. The reach is significant, and the grade reflects that.

Jackson will get a chance to compete in a cornerbacks room that includes Cisse, Valentine, St-Juste, and others, but the value proposition here is poor. In the sixth round, teams ideally look for high-upside swings or players who slipped due to off-field concerns. Jackson may develop into a contributor, but the Packers left value on the board by taking him this early. The D grade is fair: they got a player, but they overpaid in draft capital to do so.

Pick 216 (Round 6) -- Trey Smack, PK, Florida Acquired via: Compensatory Pick (From PIT via SEA) Grade: F (10.0)

There is no other way to say it: this is the worst pick of the Packers' draft, and one of the worst individual selections across the entire league. Trey Smack is a kicker from Florida, and Green Bay already has two kickers on the roster in Lucas Havrisik and veteran Brandon McManus. Kicker was not a need -- it was a position of strength. Smack was rated outside the top 450 players by the predraft community, meaning the Packers reached by a staggering margin, and they used a pick on a specialist when they had multiple bigger priorities still on the board.

The F grade speaks for itself. This is a wasted selection. It does not meaningfully affect the overall class because it is a sixth-round compensatory pick, but it is a black mark on an otherwise serviceable draft. If Smack beats out McManus and Havrisik in camp, the narrative changes. But based on the draft board, this was a misuse of capital.

Overall Grade: C+ (60.3)

The Packers' 2026 draft is best described as a tale of two extremes. The Jager Burton pick in the fifth round is an absolute home run -- an A+ selection that fills a critical need with exceptional value. Brandon Cisse and Chris McClellan in the second and third rounds are solid, professional picks that address real needs and return fair value. Dani Dennis-Sutton was a nice value swing in the fourth, even if edge rusher was not a top priority.

But the Domani Jackson reach in the sixth round and the Trey Smack kicker fiasco drag down the overall score significantly. When your worst pick scores a 10.0 (out of 100) and your best pick scores a 98.0, the average is going to settle right around where it landed.

The best pick of the class is clearly Jager Burton. The Packers stole a potential long-term starting center in the fifth round, and that is the kind of move that builds championship rosters. The worst pick is Trey Smack, a kicker taken when the position was already a strength and at a draft slot far above his projected value.

Did the Packers fill their needs? Yes, for the most part. They addressed cornerback, defensive tackle, center, and added edge depth. They did not add an offensive tackle, which was listed as a high need in the evaluation, and they didn't take a wide receiver despite Christian Watson and Jayden Reed leading a young group. Those are fair criticisms.

But on balance, this is a C+ class. It is not a draft that will define a franchise, but the Burton pick gives it a ceiling that few anticipated. If Burton becomes the starter and Cisse or Jackson develops into a reliable boundary corner, the grade will look better in hindsight. For now, Green Bay addressed its biggest needs, got one exceptional value, and wasted one pick. That is the profile of an average draft.

Grade: C+ (60.3)

Pick-by-Pick Summary