Early 2026 mock drafts show Packers expected to target position they surprisingly ignored in the initial stages of the 2025 draft

The biggest surprise of the draft for the Green Bay Packers was not what they did, but what they didn't. With an obvious need at cornerback for the second consecutive year, and more glaring now, the team decided to pass on the position during the first six rounds of the process, only taking Micah Robinson from Tulane in the seventh.

"Every draft class is a little bit different. It wasn't something we were gonna chase," general manager Brian Gutekunst explained. "It's important to us, adding Micah (Robinson) at the end was really, really good. He's a player we brought in here that we are pretty excited about. The board is what it is and it fell the way it fell. We feel good about our group right now, I feel the guys we have in that room got some pelts on the wall, so to speak, as far as what they've been able to do in the National Football League. We'll kinda see how it goes."

Even though many things can happen between now and next year's draft, it's easy to see why cornerback can still be a significant need in 2026—especially because 2026 is the final year of Keisean Nixon's contract with Green Bay.

This week, right after the 2025 draft ended, pundits started to project what will happen a year from now. And while the players themselves make it a harder exercise, because so much changes throughout a college season, it's an interesting model to project what teams can do. And, as expected, many think the Packers will finally address the secondary.

CB Mansoor Delane, LSU

A to Z Sports' draft analysts Joe DeLeone and Ryan Roberts did a first-round mock, and Mansoor Delane was the pick for Green Bay. He started three seasons at Virginia Tech, but now transferred to LSU. He's a real playmaker, and finished last season with four interceptions and seven passes defended, allowing an 83.7 passer rating when targeted.